Beyond the Riff: The Sound of Zegovia and Brotherhood
Houston’s alternative rock and pop punk based band, Zegovia are the voices of a new generation who are standing up to the masses. A reflection back on their debut album, “Observer” and an exclusive interview detailing their inspirations and beyond.
Photograph by Cris Peña / @thecrispena on Instagram
Houston’s alternative rock and pop punk based band Zegovia are the voices of a new generation who are standing up to the masses. The lineup consists of Seth Mireles (Vocals/Guitar), Matt Mireles (Drums), Alex Larson (Bass), and Quincy Cotton (Guitar), and special shoutout to former bassist, Chandler Weber whom all make up the foundation of their signature noisy rock and roll that would have appeared on the notorious MTV or on the speakers of your local block party down the street. Zegovia’s sound leans into many different directions within the alternative rock genre. Influences can be heard from the grunginess and grit of Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and Foo Fighters to the pop punk melodies of Green Day, Blink 182, and Fall Out Boy. The band’s high ambition and drive correlates to the veracity of their hastily punk nature which also shows up in their live performances. Their tight performances show the time, practice, and lengths the band has gone to perfect their craft while still having the fluidity to rock out on stage.
Zegovia’s musical history goes all the way back to beginning as early as middle school and has continued throughout the years with various line up changes, shifting genres, and crossed pathways. However, the universe methodically planned out their rise to success as they entered a brand new timeline for a very specific reason, to become Houston’s next biggest pop-punk band. From my perspective, if you admire the classic pop punk sound, songwriting with clever nuances or simply the entire sophomore album, “Sounds Good Feels Good” by 5 Seconds of Summer, Zegovia will be the number one for you.
The band released their forthcoming single, ‘Above The Roof & In The Tree’ in March 2025 marks the new direction of the band showcasing their evolving sound. The track starts off with a pure rush that sets off the tone of what’s to come. Without a second wasted, the opening notes of the song begins with power shredding, scaling guitars linked with the thunderous and rumbling drums of Matt Mireles alongside the vibrating and resonant bass from Alex Larson that exudes a vivacious power. Upon the massive waves of the bold and persistent instrumentation, the lyrics foretell a different story. The raspy and growling vocals from Seth Mireles, “You sold yourself for spite. You wanna rule my life. I lay before you, humbled by your hate and praise” pertains to the emotional anguish of being powerless in a betrayal that turned into manipulation causing the individual to turn inwards. The imbalance and bitterness of the partnership invaded the personal boundaries of what was once considered to be placed on a pedestal. Nostalgia runs amok within this song as it flashes back to moments of a once beloved memory that is tarnished as it rusts within time. The melody and progression of the track follows the sentiments of a pure pop punk track that is meant to be played on repeat.
A year later the band came back around with the latest single, ‘Q&U’ released on April 29th of this year is one the first written songs in collaboration with their newest guitar member, Quincy Cotton. The idea of the track took its first steps as it began with a catchy guitar riff that soon unlocked the gates of its hidden potential. Upon first listen it sends a hit of a wistfulness that appears as the opening notes could compare to that of “Dirty Little Secret” by The All- American Rejects that grabs your focus. With its strumming basslines, melodic riffs and moments of a guitar chord hitting center stage causes you to hold your breath for a split second before it lets you exhale and dives back into the song. In the chorus of the song, a glimpse of the higher register vocals seamlessly flow along with the “oh, oh, oh’s” chant in the background making it extremely catchy. The lyrical songwriting on ‘Q&U’ confesses the liability of being the source of one's own demise and the events that occurred beforehand that manifested the failure and pain. One of the most hard hitting lines of the track, “A lesson that I’ve learned in shame is learning how to love the pain” like a stake into your heart because of the straightforward honesty of finding meaning and navigating the emotions beyond the personal grievances.The addition of the collaborative insight of Cotton instills the pure passion and integrity of the genre, their viewpoints, and what Zegovia will soon end up becoming in their bright future ahead.
Additionally, Zegovia’s debut album, ‘Observe’ was released on February 12, 2025 and features nine original songs. The concept of the record follows the narrative of the outsider looking in trying to piece together and understand the logistics of everything they've been handed in life and seeing the bigger picture. Thematic concepts of longing, insecurities, and hardships are contained within the album and expressed vicariously in an attempt to break free from the shackles. With tracks such as ‘High Society’, ‘All We Ever Have is Time’, and ‘Flies’ all makes a direct social commentary on modern lives and represents the ideology of an oversaturated market that is fueled by constructed personalities. In contrast, songs such as ‘Agree to Disagree’, ‘Layman’, and ‘Overly Lonely’ illustrate concepts of the dealings of remorse and deep emotional pain that is poured out into its poignant lyricism.
A highlight of the album and one of my personal favorites is the closing track, ‘Roaming Away’ featuring Reybeth. It is a rock power ballad that follows the story of battling off the destructive tendencies of one’s own imaginative fantasy to escape the reality of life. The song illustrates the use of finding different avenues to keep yourself grounded amidst a falling out. The lyrical structure and heavy guitars are reminiscent of ‘My Heart’ by Paramore as it carries heartfelt vocals and raw intensity that pushes the song further. In this case, ‘Roaming Away’ is a push for a reconcile that fails to be reciprocated. As one is being faced with all the uncertainties and soon to diverge into different pathways, the conclusion comes as the obscuring clouds are being faded away. The emotional weight of the track and its expansive sonic texture allows for a moment of reflection that also induces an overwhelming moment of clarity, “You wonder when it might be time to raise the flag that's painted white”. It is a heart wrenching track that carries both the polarity of regret and alleviation of a twisted codependency.
With Zegovia, it's clear that it’s all more than just music. It is an authentic expression of jumbled thoughts scribbled down and written to let your emotions flow. The melody and songwriting of the music becomes a permanent mark that insists on evolving into a memory. After all, that's what the art form of music is all about. The fabrication it creates and breaks down bridges into a compelling maze. There's many various outlooks, perspectives, and meanings as to what the tracks can allude to but it all comes down to the listener and the way they choose to perceive it. This is what you may find upon listening to “Observer” by Zegovia. Fans are brought into the compelling raw atmosphere and get to experience a change within themselves and their mentally. The songwriting and sonic production of the band immediately resonates with listeners as they feel seen and heard.
Observer (2025). Album artwork by Isabella Wasabi. Tracklist: 1.All We Ever Have is Time / 2. Flies / 3. High Society/ 4. Overly Lonely / 5.Filler/ 6. (It's All Just) Noise/ 7. Agree to Disagree/ 8. Layman/ 9. Roaming Away
We had the chance to be able to interview Zegovia for With The Band Magazine. Thank you so much to the band for taking the time out to collaborate with us. You can read the full exclusive interview below!
WTBM: "Observe" is the perfect album title for your debut record that aligns with the perspective of the album. Upon finishing the project, was there any new discoveries or unlocked thoughts that you became aware about?
Zegovia: “After the record was done and I was listening to the songs playing back to me for the first time, then did it really hit me just how much the things I’m writing about affected me both positively and negatively. I’m definitely stronger mentally and can handle hardships better than I used to. However, I’m a lot more vigilant and wary of who I let in to my life now. The title Observe definitely relates to all of that.”
WTBM: The band recently released 'Above The Roof & In The Trees' and your newest single, 'Q&U’ is set to be released on April 29th. How do these newer songs differ from those on "Observer"?
Zegovia: “We definitely feel like the structural compositions and overall writing styles of these new songs are a bit more mature. That’s not to say the Observe songs are immature, but we definitely wanted to challenge ourselves to see what else we could do besides the verse, chorus, verse songwriting format. Thematically, we also think the songs have a bit more of a darker mood to them. That’s not something we necessarily intended, but rather something we noticed once the songs were finished.”
WTBM: When writing songs for an album, what is your selection process on picking which tracks belongs on the record or deciding it push it as a single?
Zegovia: “That’s a great question. When making an album, we always make sure to write with that specific intention as opposed to just writing a bunch of random songs and seeing what sticks. That’s how we used to do it in our early days of being musicians, so a lot of our early material was kind of all over the place. For us, making an album usually starts with one or two really strong songs that we feel could set the tone for a record. Then we start building the record around those songs and go from there. In our opinions, writing the songs should feel completely natural and should not feel forced. In other words, the songs should write themselves. We try not suppress any of our own ideas either. So if we end up writing a song that doesn’t really fit the vibe of the entire project we’re currently working on, then we will just put it out as a single or shelve it in the event that we find a place for it on an EP or album down the road.”
WTBM: What's the relationship dynamic like with the addition of having a brother in the band? Are there any advantages or disadvantages that present itself with this collaboration together?
Zegovia: “It definitely works pretty well for us, mostly because it’s like having a built in bandmate. We live together so it makes meeting up for practices and jams pretty easy. However, I (Seth) still manage to run late sometimes haha. In all seriousness, we have a chemistry that I think is specifically related to us being brothers. I feel it the most during our live sets. There’s a natural, unspoken communication between the two of us that in a way, feels telekinetic lol. Somehow, we’re always able to anticipate one another’s next move. When it comes to writing songs, I sometimes don’t even have to tell Matt what I’m thinking for a specific part. He just reads my mind and does it. The only disadvantage I’d say is sometimes we argue just like any regular pair of siblings, but we get over it pretty quickly, and it never stops the band from functioning.”
WTBM: The best thing about music is finding a safe space where your outlooks and beliefs are shared with one another. The themes and concepts within your lyrics holds a heavy presence that listeners can relate to. What has been the most cathartic song that was a relief to write as a way to pour out your feelings?
Zegovia: “For Observe, I would say writing ‘Overly Lonely’ and ‘Layman’ felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. For that album, those two songs are some of my most honest work. Even though I feel like those songs aren’t our strongest ones, I had never been that open and honest with my songwriting up until that point. Anyone who listens to us or knows me personally can attest. Our song ‘Flies’ was also one that felt really good to write. At the time when it was written, we were still pretty new, and it felt like no one cared about us, so that’s precisely what the song is about… being an artist and feeling discouraged about trying to get yourself out there in a saturated market and hoping people will take the time to listen. Hence, “Nobody cares, nobody wants to know”. It is a song written by artists, about artists, and for artists. All of that changed once we started playing out more though, so it’s not always doom and gloom, but I do come across so many artists on social media who make videos about feeling the exact same way. So if you feel that way, just keep playing out, and don’t be afraid to leave your home town if you have to. There will always be people out there who will like and appreciate what you make.”
WTBM: The artistic approach of Zegovia stems itself from curating all of your musical influences into one. Has there been a lifelong inspiration that you still carry within yourself who constantly motivates you to become a better artist?
Zegovia: “Both Matt and I have always leaned towards very melodic and energy driven bands/artists. When we were kids, the music that inspired us and the stuff that helped define our sound was the 90s alternative music—specifically the Seattle scene, as well as the pop punk stuff that came out in the mid 90s to early 2000s. I also grew up on old school punk rock and was first exposed to that when I started skateboarding. It’s hard to pick just a few, but some life long inspirations that I still carry with me today are bands like Dinosaur Jr., Title Fight, Hum, and Smashing Pumpkins. For Matt, it’s Foo Fighters, Twenty-One Pilots, and a lot of R&B and soul music like Silk Sonic. For Alex it’s Metallica, and for Quincy (in his words): “…It’s “Deftones and Smashing Pumpkins. Those are two of the biggest inspirations that come to mind. Heavy distortion, stuff that’s memorable. Shoegazey, trippy riffs. I try to make riffs that are easy but still compelling”.”
WTBM: Zegovia recently played at the Springstock Show Festival at Saint Arnold's Brewery. As a rising pop punk and rock band in Houston, what has your experience been among sharing the stage with other local artists?
Zegovia: “It’s been nothing short of amazing!! A lot of those bands are some of our closest friends whom we’ve been lucky enough to watch start their bands from day one and continue to grow. Because of jobs and life, we don’t get to see everyone as much as we used to, so events like Springstock are perfect for getting us all back together.”
WTBM: Zegovia recently embarked on their first tour a while back, what was the whole experience like? Are there any memorable moments or learning curves you had to adjust to?
Zegovia: “The experience was incredible. We fell in love with touring immediately. We definitely learned to conserve our energy and to make sure the places we find to sleep are comfortable. Because if we sleep like crap (which some of us definitely did haha) then it makes the next day and the next shows very difficult. I’ve also discovered that I really enjoy the long drives. I love the open roads and listening to albums along the way. Lastly, we learned that it doesn’t take long to get sick of Buc-ee’s haha.”
WTBM: What is one lyric or song that you have written or from your favorite artist/band that still holds a deep meaning and that you always go back to?
Zegovia: “The lyrics for the chorus of our song “Flies” will always have a special place in my heart. Sometimes they make me sad, but they also make me appreciate the good memories. “They come and go, they live in peace, not everyone is on your side. So leave me to my own, because in this work you’re so alone, nobody cares nobody wants to know”— All of that pertains to bands we have loved coming and going (breaking up), as well as keeping to ourselves. Even though that’s how I was feeling at the time, I’ve since learned to be less pessimistic and that that last part is simply not the best way to go about things. You always want to have people in your circles that you can trust and who will treat you with respect.”
WTBM: What can fans be able to expect from Zegovia in the future and its direction going forward? (Hopefully more music and live shows!)
Zegovia:“Expect to have A LOT of new music coming this fall (maybe a new album 👀), as well as some Texas mini-tour dates in late summer, as well as a full tour in the fall and winter!! Thank you so much to everyone who has ever been to a show, bought merch, streamed our music, and shown us love. You guys keep us going. Special thanks to Hanna for giving us opportunities to get our name out there like this!!”