A Return to Form: Zweed n’ Roll on Their Sophomore LP ‘Resurrection’
Alt-rockers Zweed n’ Roll finally return with their long-awaited sophomore album after a three-year hiatus following their debut LP, 2018’s ‘I’m 20.’ Despite the long absence, the quintet have managed to stay true to their roots, offering up the beloved sound that initially catapulted them to fame.
A portmanteau of “rock n’ roll” and “sweet n’ roll,” the band is made up of Sutipat “Pat” Sutiwanit (vocals), Nattapatch “Poon” Smithnookulkit (guitar), Nuttakorn “Min” Sinlawat (guitar), Niti “New” Nitiyarom (bass), and Than Damrongrut (drums). They are known for their deep-cutting ballads, Pat’s powerful singing voice, and sonic influences inspired by The Beatles, The Cranberries, Radiohead, and Nirvana.
What’s it like being with your new label, Warner Music Thailand?
Pat: It feels so good to have a team behind you. We all come from a music background, so we don’t really have any other skills to speak of. Having people there to help us with different things makes our job so much easier.
New: We also get a lot of other input besides music which is something we’d always wanted.
Pat: The label doesn’t put us in the box. They see us for who we are as an artist and they don’t want to change anything. We’re lucky that our visions align.
New: We usually work as a team anyway. Everyone’s involved in all the process.
Has the band changed at all over the last decade?
Pat: We’ve definitely grown more serious and mature.
How would you describe yourself if the band were a 10 year-old kid?
Pat: Probably a good-looking kid with everything going for them except for love.
What did you get up to in those three years that you were away?
New: We’d just started touring in that first year. To be honest, we didn’t really have plans though. We wanted to keep releasing singles and maybe have a concert. After COVID-19 hit, we kind of drifted apart because we couldn’t do gigs. We felt really lost for a while and those feelings came to inspire our new record.
Pat: We did a lot of self-relection while we were locked down at home. I feel like each of us came to some sort of a realization.
Which song on ‘Resurrection’ hits different now that it’s out in the wild?
Pat: Mine is called “Thuk Wan.” I didn’t connect with it in the beginning because it has strings on it. Now that I’m feeling a bit more bright, I can appreciate them more.
Poon: When I heard Pat playing “Fighter” on guitar for the first time, I thought it was perfect. The current version is a lot more angry, but I feel like it’s perfect.
What else is new on Resurrection?
New: We have more Thai songs!
New: We wanted to communicate with our audience more. We didn’t have a lot of Thai songs in the beginning and we felt that our live shows lacked that connection.
Pat: It’s much more compact and accessible.
New: Is it, though? (laughs)
Pat: That’s for you to mull on.
What was it like working with producer Shane Edward?
Poon: It was really eye opening for me. Although it was our first time working with such a world-class producer, but we felt really comfortable with it. Everything went smoothly. It was great!
Pat: We’d never worked with anyone else before. It’d always been just us five. Having Shane with us felt like we grew a third eye because he saw what we failed to see. He managed to bring out the best in us.
New: He helped us realize our full potential.
What is the message of your ‘Resurrection’ MV?
Pat: Our director Alisa was the one who came up with the story. I didn’t want to change anything because I wanted it to stay true to her interpretation.
Can you tell us about all the symbols in the video?
Pat: White, to me, is nakedness and innocence. If you watch the MV carefully, you’ll notice these black hands which represent our past experience. We’re being swallowed bit by bit until one day we finally see light.
As a band, are they any favorite memories that you’d like to resurrect?
Pat: Memories of when we played live shows. We haven’t been able to do that in two years.
New: As a musician, it’s like we lost a good chunk of our lives. We want to see our fans again to feel alive.
Your music provides healing to a lot of your fans, what about yourselves?
Pat: Very much so. Songwriting is a form of healing and therapy for me.
Poon: It does. When I’m feeling down, I just listen to our own music. It doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better, but I enjoy it (laughs).
If you were to pick one track that best represents the band, what would it be?
New: “Mai Mee Arai Muang Derm.”
Pat: I agree. Most songs usually go in the order of “verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge,” but we go from 1 to 100, no repeating.
How would you define Zweed n’ Roll?
New: An alternative band from Bangkok.
Min: A playful band. People tend to think of us as dark, but we’re actually playful too!
Than: A crispy pizza with cheese crust.
Pat: A therapy band.
Poon: A simple band.
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