Zack Keim

Zack Keim can find inspiration nearly anywhere. The Pittsburgh singer-songwriter hatched the hook for his 2022 single “Canyon” while driving around Washington, D.C. making food deliveries, singing voice memos into his phone. An insistent vocal refrain (“Can-yonnn!”) was all it took; Keim started strumming the melody on his guitar, and pretty soon the song blossomed into a buoyant folk-pop gem of a tune. Keim’s first solo single since his 2017 debut First Step, “Canyon” serves as a monumental leap forward and the first taste of Keim’s forthcoming sophomore effort, Battery Lane. Keim returned in April of 2023 with his standalone single “Better Days,” a wistful gem that wrests melodic bliss out of pangs of nostalgia. “Better Days” hearkens back to Keim’s garage-rock roots with what he describes as a “fast-paced Ramones/Beach Boys vibe”: pounding tempos, wall-of-sound harmonies, vintage six-string textures. Lyrically, the song summons the feeling of sitting in a diner seat, longing for better things in the past, a theme captured by the evocative music video, which was directed by Matt Costa. Keim co-wrote the tune with Costa, the indie singer-songwriter, and Chad Monticue of Animal Scream in California. “Better Days” is out now as a 7inch Vinyl via Action Weekend Records (Europe). Keim’s second solo album, “Battery Lane” will be out Feb 7, 2025 via Evan Westall of Caamp’s label Super Sport Records. Produced by Jake Hanner (Donora) and the duo Animal Scream.