Zheani

In the organizer's words:

I Hate People On The Internet, the EP released in 2022 by Brisbane-based singer, songwriter and producer Zheani Sparkes, ended with a song that found solace in nihilism. "We know life's not fair now, baby, don't be scared now", she sang in "We're All Going To Die", "We're all going to die, we're all going there and we'll be happy there". After a record that drew its strength from discord and hatred, this was a surprising turn of events - an acknowledgement that if this world really is shit and ends in death for the good and the bad, we might as well just accept it.

The Spiritual Meat Grinder, Zheani's follow-up mixtape, leans fully into this realization. It's an end-of-the-world party record that tips its hat to the futility of life - while inviting you to "bring wet cunts to the dance floor" to cope. We live in a spiritual meat grinder every fucking day, so why not have a bit of fun with it? "If you're in the spiritual meat grinder that spins into absurdity, you might as well be a freak and enjoy yourself," says Zheani. "If you're in Sodom and Gomorrah and can't escape, you might as well be in the binge orgy when the fire and brimstone falls."

The Spiritual Meat Grinder represents a new mode for Zheani: unlike I Hate People On The Internet, a rough bruising of a record, this mixtape makes way for ethereal synth-pop, rib-cracking house music and crystalline beats inspired by jungle and drum'n'bass. Zheani describes the experience as "a party where you shed your inhibitions - but with occasional mental breakdowns in the restroom" - a glamorous, hedonistic version of Homer's Odyssey, where the protagonist struggles through raucous parties and familial trauma to find her way home.

True to this concept, The Spiritual Meat Grinder oscillates freely between pain and pleasure, finding truth in songs about sex and romance ("What's it worth if I can't hold you/All night long/And eat you up whole?" she asks in "Touch of Grass") and catharsis in tracks like Growing Pains, one of the most emotional songs Zheani has ever written. Forays into dance music on songs like Bring Wet Cunt showcase Zheani's remarkable talent for droning, hard-driving big-tent tracks, channeling the aerodynamic intensity of I Hate People On The Internet into a song that's crashing and anthemic.

Ultimately, The Spiritual Meat Grinder represents a moment of rare respite for Zheani - a document of a musician using hedonism and sleek, hellish beats as a buoy against a world that continues to be tumultuous and brutal. "What I can say is that this project, unlike others, was intentional and not just reactionary. I'm learning to steer the ship, and that's liberating," says Zheani. "I want to have fun, and I'm at least trying to work towards that instead of just being caught in a storm and struggling to persevere."

ZHEANI is coming to German clubs for five shows in May 2024. Tickets for the concerts in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich are available from Thursday, March 7 - 10:00 a.m. exclusively in presale at www.ticketmaster.de