Zoon

Daniel Monkman, the indigenous Canadian musician behind the moniker Zoon, refers to his music as “moccasin-gaze.” The project’s 2020 debut, Bleached Wavves, blends dense waves of elaborately sculpted guitar noise with rhythms inspired by First Nations traditions, and Monkman’s lyrics reflect his life struggles, from facing adversity due to his heritage to overcoming addiction.
Monkman was raised in the Brokenhead Ojibwe Nation, located near Winnipeg. He fell in love with shoegaze as a teenager, particularly My Bloody Valentine, but had a hard time finding others who appreciated the style. Later moving to the nearby town of Selkirk, he faced racism and poverty, and turned to drugs and alcohol as an escape. He started a band called the Blisters, who released the three-song EP Insects in 2011 and continued playing until their 2015 breakup. After the death of a close friend due to an overdose, as well as a few near-death experiences of his own, Monkman decided to clean up and get his life back on track. Refocusing on music, he moved to Hamilton, Ontario in 2018 and formed a group named Bloom. He recorded and released an EP titled Bleached Wavves by himself, and a few record labels expressed interest. He signed with Paper Bag under the name Zoon, short for the Ojibwe word Zoongide’ewin, meaning “bravery, courage, the Bear Spirit,” and Bleached Wavves was released as an album in June of 2020. ~ Paul Simpson