SONG PREMIERES: NEPA dark wave artist Zeu doubles down on ‘Sympathy’ and ‘Nostalgia’ in troubling times
Piercing the darkness, beams of light suddenly perforate the pitch black, illuminating just enough of the void to form the frame of some kind of doorway. Giving off an ominous red glow, is this a way out of the cold and seemingly endless absence or will this mysterious gateway lead to something even more sinister?
The cover art for Zeu’s double single of “Sympathy” and “Nostalgia” subliminally invites listeners to reach out and open this foreboding passage, illuminating singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Zedolik’s somberly poetic thoughts on both concepts.
“The passage of time really inspires me. If you look at old family photos, it seems like yesterday but they were from 20 years ago. I’m in the same body, but it has aged and I’m slowly dying. Sometimes memories or experiences really have a hold on us; those experiences cause us to feel a certain way and impact us for the rest of our life. The pain from the feeling of nostalgia makes us uniquely human,” he shared.
“It’s no secret the state of the world isn’t great for how far we’ve come as a society and species. It seems pointless to try and work hard or be a good person in 2026. The massive fallout from the loss of white and blue collar jobs due to AI seems inevitable. Currently, evil is winning, and we were told as a country we were the good guys when we might be the villains. People are kind to each other when they need something and want to manipulate you; as the chorus of ‘Sympathy’ goes, ‘Sympathy is never free.'”
Both songs are premiering today exclusively on NEPA Scene as they reveal themselves on Bandcamp and all major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. Despite the heavy subject matter covering this rapidly decaying society, the 35-year-old Mountain Top native layered catchy, even upbeat-sounding rhythms underneath the gothic dark wave/neofolk tunes he has become known for in the Northeastern Pennsylvania music scene, creating a vibrant vibration that pulses throughout the 11 tracks on his upcoming record.
“I have a mullet. I love ’80s music. I love Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, and all of those synth, punk, and new wave bands. A lot of the songs on this new record have more of an ’80s wave feel. As time goes on, I’ve just been enjoying writing catchier music with Zeu,” he explained.
“I haven’t released new music in over a year. People were asking when I was going to release something new – I felt it was time. I’m constantly recording and writing. Sometimes I just have to put a stop to it and release music.”
After playing in various metal bands throughout high school, Zedolik debuted his solo project Zeu in 2014 and has gone on to produce singles, EPs, and seven albums while also playing indie and folk rock in local bands like American Buffalo Ghost and The Ordinals. His latest full-length, 2024’s “Body Songs,” proved to be his most satisfying release yet, both artistically and publicly.
“It felt great. I always seem to spend some time writing an album that has a common artistic vision – sonically, lyrically, and stylistically; it feels good to finally release that piece of work,” the Avoca resident noted.
“The reception was better than I could have imagined. It was extremely positive locally, nationally, and online. It did well with the local indie/alternative punk scene I’m currently in, as well as with people I couldn’t picture normally listen to Zeu. [The singles] ‘Black Tongue’ and ‘Out of Time’ have been staples of my live shows. I will always write music, but it’s cool to have one of two songs that resonate with a larger group of people.”
In 2023, in his first and only interview about Zeu until now, he premiered “Black Tongue” via NEPA Scene and has since let the music speak for itself, performing in established and underground venues alike with a wide variety of area artists.
“‘Body Songs’ put me out there and got a lot of people interested in Zeu. All of the shows have been great. I don’t think I’ve played a show where I was unhappy with the turnout of the performance.”
His most memorable show during that time was on June 29, 2024, when he played the DIY venue Spacement Arts in Wilkes-Barre and captured it all for a free live EP he later dubbed “The Obsolete Man.”
“I love live bootlegs. I went down a rabbit hole of listening to live bootlegs from The Stooges. Some bands have such a cool sound live, whether it’s less perfect, more visceral, or heavier. Sometimes it’s really hard to replicate it in a studio setting. I was really happy with the way my live sound was evolving. It was heavier, louder, noisier, and just sounded different than the recordings. Brian Emmert from Das Black Milk recorded [my] set from Spacement Arts and I thought it would be a cool Bandcamp treat for fans,” he recalled.
“It was also my tribute to Spacement Arts; the venue is no longer open. I’ll be 36 in March, and I have been playing music since I was 15. I’ve been around long enough now where I’ve seen venues and scenes come and go. Our area always had such a cool underground music scene that doesn’t get represented or given exposure like it should. Bobby [Robair] at Spacement did such a good job at giving those bands a platform to play and showcase their music. It’s always a battle in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to keep a venue open that focuses on original music.”
That war begins with writing new music that’s worth fighting for, which doesn’t seem like much of a struggle for Zedolik, judging by his ever-growing catalog that continues to build up behind the scenes.
“I actually started work on new records in March of 2024 before ‘Body Songs’ was released. I like to have a recording done and sit for a while before I release it. ‘Nostalgia’ was written in March of 2024, and ‘Sympathy’ was written in December of 2025. I wrote and recorded around three records of material with slightly different sounds, one of them that features ‘Sympathy’ and ‘Nostalgia’ with a predominately new wave feel and will have tentative release for spring/summer 2026.”
The as-yet-untitled album will be 46 minutes of what may be his most accessible work yet.
“Musically, it’s more synth pop and new wave. Lots of drum machines, synths, and shimmery guitars. Pretty music juxtaposed by sad lyrics. Waves all around,” he described.
“The singles represent the album very well. I always prided myself on stylistically diverse albums, but this new one is the most consistent album in my discography. If you love new wave, dark wave, synth pop, or anything with synths or drum machines, this album will be your jam.”
That doesn’t mean he’s losing his edge or cynicism towards the future, however, as he joked about “just trying to stay alive in 2026” when asked about his plans for this year. Once the album is out, he hopes to play as many shows as he can, though looking back at that glowing doorway, he could only offer one guess as to what’s behind it.
“It seems to be the nightmare world that awaits us.”
Photos by Lexie Padavan
