Zopa - "Red Sky"

Though the New York City-based Zopa released their debut album, La Dolce Vita, in late 2020, the band’s brand new single, “Red Sky,” is in a way, their first new music in several years. The 10 songs that make up La Dolce Vita were written and recorded about eight years ago, then shelved until the waning days of the last decade. So, given the time between writing and recording sessions, it’s no surprise that “Red Sky” marks a bit of a shift in direction for the Michael Imperioli-led trio, as this track sees them bringing several new sonic elements into the fold.

Whereas many of the songs on La Dolce Vita thrived off of an unbridled punk rock energy, “Red Sky” sees the band settling down a bit and infusing more jangly guitar tones into their melodies, incorporating some of the college rock influences that Imperioli cited during his recent appearance on the Look At My Records! podcast. The band still maintains the kind of raw, meat and potatoes rock and roll vibe that made the songs on La Dolce Vita so appealing, but while many of the themes on their debut traversed in darker lyrical territory, “Red Sky” is all about love. Imperioli recently shared that “Red Sky is “a love song and a song that celebrates having the courage to be a true individual.” It’s certainly an uplifting listen. 

Zopa also shared a video for the song, which was co-directed by Lisa Rinzler and Imperioli’s wife, Victoria. Stream it below!

You can purchase “Red Sky” via Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify. La Dolce Vita is available on vinyl via Mt. Crushmore Records. Keep up with Zopa by following them on Instagram.

Be sure to listen to Episode 206 of the Look At My Records! podcast, which features an extensive chat with Zopa frontman Michael Imperioli.