On Her Own Terms: Iona Zajac on debut album Bang

Iona Zajac had to remind herself she wasn’t dreaming as she looked out at the New York skyline from the window of her 7th Avenue hotel room. Picked out by Spider Stacy himself, Zajac recently joined The Pogues on their seven-night tour of the US and Canada. "I can understand that lots of people have been quite sceptical, like 'well this isn't The Pogues', and it's not, you know, it's a very different thing. Nobody is trying to replace anybody, but it really works," says Zajac of the group’s new formation, which now sees three of the band’s original members propped up by the likes of Zajac, Lisa O’Neill and Nadine Shah. For Zajac, who is on harp and vocal duties for the iconic Celtic punks, The Pogues’ North American excursion marked a more relaxing tour experience than she's used to. "They're just quite old school, the band. They've been in the game for so long, they book nice hotels and really look after us… it's just a dream."

The stateside jaunt, fun though it was, was a warmup for the biggest undertaking of Zajac’s career to date – the release of her ambitious debut album, Bang. Be it searing takedowns of violent men or abstract tales recounted from her dreams, every track is bound together by Zajac’s signature brand of gothic surrealism. To release a debut album as intricate as Bang is an impressive feat for any artist, let alone an independent one.

"I recorded the album two years ago with a fantastic band and was like, 'right, I need a cool label'," reflects Zajac. "But I think as we entered that process and I realised what a label could actually offer me, especially in the early days, I was just going to be in loads of debt." Instead, Zajac, alongside a small management team, decided to release Bang on her own terms. "I feel very good about the fact that I'm releasing it independently because, not only do I not owe anyone any money, but in a way I'm releasing this album for me, and not to show a label the numbers."

Bang album artwork 

Included in Bang’s tracklist is the opening trio of Bowls, Dilute and Anton, described by Zajac as "sisters in different stages of processing something bad." Each of these offerings tackles the heady subject matter of violence against women, culminating in the expulsion of the line, ‘Go fuck yourself, go learn to get consent’ on Anton. Crafting such emotively unsparing art can undoubtedly be a draining endeavour, though Zajac rejoices in the sense of community she feels from her listeners. "The thing that really comes from releasing these is the response I've had from other people who get in touch with me and say, 'Thank you for releasing this song that I can relate to so much.' My processing of what happened, happened years ago. I've had a couple of people send me messages saying: 'I hope you're okay', but if I wasn't okay I wouldn't be releasing this right now… It's a general anger and fuel in me that's built over the years in being aware of what women had to put up with and what I had to put up with as a teenager."

The two-year buffer between the recording and the release of Bang may sound laborious to some, though Zajac relishes the confidence she's developed in her ability during that time. "One of the things about the album taking so long to be ready is that, at 27, 28, I felt much more wobbly generally. I was very aware of being a young woman artist," she admits. “But you can't help but think, especially when it comes to major labels, they're not going to sign a 29-year-old woman, and woman is the key word there, because you get pumped with this idea that you're not sellable – and I'm totally over that hump now. I don't feel worried about that at all."

Zajac’s carefree approach shines on Chicken Supermarket, an absurdist tale scribbled together on the harpist’s Notes app in the wee small hours. "Really, it's lots of lines from different dreams, but one of those involved a romantic dream I had about Billy Connolly," Zajac laughs, describing the track that sees her stranded in the middle of a sea of jelly with the king of Scottish comedy. "I dreamt I met him and his wife, and I was really jealous of her!"

Predicting that Bang will keep Zajac busy come award season sounds like a fairly safe bet, though the songwriter is quick to stress that connecting with audiences is the main ambition for album one. "I'd like to play it as much as possible," Zajac reflects. "Playing live shows is really what I want to be doing. And even if I can see a tiny step up in the venues I play over the next months, then that would be very cool."

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Bang is released on 21 Nov via Post Electric; Iona Zajac plays Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, 23 Nov; The Hug & Pint, Glasgow, 24 Nov