Check out the latest single from Bay Area singer-songwriter Zoe FitzGerald Carter. Zoe possesses a pure, clear voice that weaves smoothly around her delicate melody in this well-crafted song. ‘Before the Machine’ is a genuine, heartfelt song that recalls a time before smartphones intruded upon our lives and reflects on how technology has changed us and our relationships with others. In particular, smartphones have impacted on how well we interact with other people and the world around us. So many of us are guilty of living in and through our phones. As Zoe notes, we never just wait in line anymore, lost in our own thoughts, and we have become: “Like ghosts of each other // We just just pass each other by.”
Zoe says of the song: “‘Before the Machine is about the way technology, specifically smart phones, has changed how we participate in, observe, and experience time. We spend less time in our own heads — daydreaming, scheming, observing, and interacting with other people — and more time scrolling through our private internet landscapes. We have the world at our fingertips, but are more isolated and less connected than ever before. I’m not preaching a purist, anti-tech gospel, but I believe many of us feel a sense of melancholy and unease about what we have lost through technological innovation.” This sentiment is so well expressed, both here and through the song’s lyrics.
‘Before the Machine’ is the title track from Zoe’s second solo album, which is out now. It follows 2021’s ‘Waterlines’ and features a range of influences, including jazz, rock, Americana and blues, that can be heard throughout this collection of nine original songs. Zoe’s sensitive lyricism continues to be a strength, which is no surprise given that her first career was in journalism. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School, Zoe’s written work has appeared in a number of well-regarded national publications, including The New York Times, Newsweek and Vogue. It’s a solid foundation for Zoe’s words and tuneful delivery. Enjoy.
