In the past month or so, I’ve been underwhelmed by new releases. August and the beginning of September had some good albums like Lover by Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey’s Norman F***ing Rockwell, but other than that, very few artists I like have released any full albums recently. That’s partially due to the fact that full albums have become fewer and far between as more people spread out releases through EPs (extended plays) and singles.
As a result of this lack of new music, I’ve tried to find more artists to expand my music tastes. In my search, which entailed pestering my friends for their favorites, scouring Spotify recommendations, and listening to podcasts, I came across Louie Zong.
Louie Zong is a musician and artist probably best known for his song “Ghost Choir” and his work on the show We Bare Bears on Cartoon Network. I’d heard “Ghost Choir” before, but I didn’t become familiar with his work until listening to an episode of Wonderful!, a podcast by Griffin and Rachel McElroy in which they talk about a range of things they like. In episode 35, they talked about Louie Zong, who drew the cover art for their show.
I enjoy his music because a lot of his songs are either super upbeat or incredibly chill. His work is mostly electronic sounds, but he also does a lot of work with acoustic sounds, too. The thing that interests me the most about his work is the concepts of his albums. Most of the albums are titled something like Fries, Dawgz, or Levels and then the songs follow along with that theme. For example, his latest album Fries includes songs like “Waffle,” “Sweet Potato,” and “Curly.” I really enjoy his album Levels and his follow up album Levels: DLC because they’re meant to be the soundtrack for a nonexistent videogame.
Overall, I just enjoy how relaxing and atmospheric his music is. I usually listen to it when I’m studying or when I just want to give my brain a break while listening to something simple and amazing. If asked what my favorite song was, I’d have a pretty hard time choosing. However, it would probably be “Hello, World” because I enjoy the pure, cheerful vibe. Another favorite of mine is “Asymptotic,” a song composed of math-related analogies about love and relationships. Again, I find the song enjoyable because of the playful, upbeat tone. I find Zong’s music almost hypnotizing in how calming it is, and I can’t help but want to listen to it repeatedly.
In addition to his music career and his work with several companies like Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Disney, he’s also a talented illustrator and animator. I’d highly recommend checking out his website and looking at some of his art, especially his landscapes. Similar to his music, his art ranges from entirely whimsical GIFs of cute animals to serene mountain landscapes.
Louie Zong is one of those rare artists that I enjoy all of their work. He gives me much needed chill vibes to counteract the overwhelming stress of life. I’d highly recommend checking out both his art and his music because they’re both really great.
Here are some of my favorite works of his that perfectly show his musical and artistic talent.
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