Washington, DC, May 22, 2024 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– Washington, DC band Zen Warship will release its second album, “The Renewal,” on June 30, 2024. The record is a breakthrough for the group as they experiment blending funk, rock, soul and ska. “Music is emotional renewal. We wrote our first album pre-COVID whereas this album started in 2021 with new band members as COVID restrictions receded. It was a renewal of our sound and wellbeing as we started performing live again and explored different musical genres,” said guitarist Tyler Moselle.

The record features longtime members bassist Roberto Giberti and singer Preethy Kolinjivadi who also wrote the lyrics. The group added multi-instrumentalist Emre Tufekcioglu who contributed significantly to the songwriting and plays drums on the tracks. “This album was very different for us because almost every band member crafted a new song or piece of music. It was very collaborative but also a more contentious project as we synthesized different preferences and musical styles,” noted Roberto. “You can almost hear the tension of various personalities and genres in these tracks that somehow succeed to come together,” emphasized Emre.

Zen Warship has always showcased a strong horn section since its founding in 2016 but primarily featured trumpet. For this album, the band added trombone, tenor and alto saxophone. They turned to talented trumpeter Zack Forbes to compose new horn parts. “We asked Zack to blend funk with disco, soul and ska and he delivered intricate and layered sounds,” commented Preethy. The band’s horn lineup of Marli Banner (trumpet), Matthew Shonman (trombone), David Whitehead (tenor sax), and Zack Wisti (alto sax) convey funky punch and beautiful harmonies on the record.

The band developed the material while performing at DC’s top venues and festivals over the last few years, including the Cherry Blossom Festival, Adams Morgan Porchfest, Pearl Street Warehouse, Jammin Java and the Pie Shop. Zen Warship was nominated by the Washington Area Music Awards for best funk group and album based on their first record “Anything That Grooves” (2020).

Tyler and Emre recorded and mixed the album with Tyler serving as producer. Conrad Osipowicz of Blue Room Productions mastered the material. Tyler created the album artwork.

“We are thrilled to release our new music and hope it will provide listeners positive energy, emotional renewal, and a celebratory summer,” offered the band. The album is now available for preorder on the group’s Bandcamp website, where you can immediately listen to and download the first song “Get Higher.”