Scottish songwriter Iona Zajac has released her debut album Bang, a raw and unguarded record that cuts straight into themes of power, boundaries, memory and the messy ways people protect themselves. I listened to this album without hearing a single track prior to it and was absolutely blown away by the rawness and emotion throughout, with a personal highlight being “Anton” which appears about half-way through the album, meticulously placed to deliver a gut punch:
Zajac has found her audience the long way around, through intense solo performances and recent tours singing and playing with The Pogues, a run that has taken her from Glasgow and London venues to Terminal 5 in New York, with Sydney Opera House dates ahead in 2026. Away from those huge rooms, her own shows are stark and gripping; just her voice, guitar, and a refusal to over-explain.
Bang leans into that same clarity. The record shifts between alt-folk, sparse pop and darker, sharper arrangements, but everything points back to the writing. It tackles harm without romanticising it, pokes at desire without apology, and drops into surreal humour when emotion gets too heavy. The songs don’t rush to make peace with anything. Some sit in discomfort, some laugh at it.
Speaking about the process, Zajac says:
“Sometimes people get a little too confident in who they think you are and project that onto you. And it’s like babe we’re not married, I didn’t ask for your input so let me do me and you can do you.”
That straight-forwardness runs through the whole album. Bang is less about turning pain into poetry and more about letting things exist without disguise.
The album is out now via Post Electric.
Upcoming Shows
Headline & Co-Headline
- 23 Nov — Edinburgh, Voodoo Rooms
- 24 Nov — Glasgow, The Hug & Pint
- 27 Nov — London, The Social
Performing with The Pogues — AUS / NZ
- 25 Mar — Fremantle Prison, AUS
- 17 Mar — Hindley St Music Hall, Adelaide
- 29 Mar — The Forum, Melbourne
- 2–3 Apr — Byron Bay Bluesfest
- 5–6 Apr — Sydney Opera House
- 8 Apr — St James Theatre, Wellington
- 9 Apr — Christchurch Town Hall
- 11 Apr — NZICC Theatre, Auckland
