Zulu Alpha Kilo is known for its branding work for mainstream brands. For the first time, it’s stepping into a new category – the indie music scene. The shop was behind all the branding elements for Toronto Indie artist, ARK IDENTITY. (This story has a wonderful twist – keep reading).
Senior designer, Ana-Marija Matic, worked on all the branding alongside founder & creative chairman, Zak Mroueh, who is a huge music fan himself.
Z.A.K. designed the logo, branding materials and even created the official music video for the debut release single, Eyes’ The music video was directed and conceived by Mroueh himself, who’s normally behind the camera directing the shop’s humorous takes on everything from spec work to awards shows. Mroueh also shot all the photography on the soon to be released debut EP.
Within just a few days of release, the artsy Eyes video achieved over 50,000 organic views.
Incredibly, ARK IDENTITY’s debut single made it on to Apple Music in the US (and a whopping 147 other countries) as a featured single on its New In Alternative playlist, alongside artists like Billie Eillish’s new single, Lunch, that launched on the same day. According to those close to the music scene, this is a bit of an anomaly. “It’s very rare for a debut single from an unsigned artist to get picked up organically in this way,” stated Adam Bentley of Auteur Research, a company specialised in music marketing. “It’s like winning the music lottery especially first time out.”
They say the eyes are the windows to our souls. This timeless metaphor is the foundation of Eyes. The memorable hooks and captivating melody behind ARK IDENTITY’s sound is Noah Mroueh, an emerging indie singer-songwriter in the dream pop scene. In his day job, he works as a sound editor and multi-media specialist at Zulubot, Zulu Alpha Kilo’s content studio. He also just happens to be Mroueh’s son. The song captures the intricate emotions of watching someone’s transformation right before your eyes. It dives metaphorically into the complexities and inevitable changes every relationship eventually undergoes.
“Eyes is about the conflicting emotions that come with seeing someone you once loved evolve into a stranger, and the importance of letting go,” Noah Mroueh stated.
Since its launch last Wednesday, Eyes has been getting rave reviews. Although the branding had all been done two weeks before the launch of the single, Mroueh senior offered to shoot the video. “I’ve always directed things in the realm of advertising, so I was excited to shoot something outside my comfort zone. I had never shot a music video before,” Zak Mroueh stated. To maximise production efficiency, Mroueh shot the video for the second single on the same day. That song and video will be released July 3.
The video was shot on a shoestring budget, capturing the essence of the song’s melancholic emotions and dreamy aura nonetheless. The use of striking black and white close-ups of eyes along with abstract imagery helps to elevate the song’s dream pop essence and visual storytelling.
Eyes is available now on all major streaming platforms. Zulubot handled all production.
