One, two, three, four… and Zero Hour: Genesis begins. With that sense of ignition, Shayan Regan opens a record that feels less like a collection of songs and more like a launch sequence into a carefully built sonic universe.
Known for the stripped-back intimacy of his early work, first captured on a phone with little more than voice and guitar, Regan now turns toward a broader canvas. His debut A Poison With An Aftertaste quietly amassed over three million streams and entered Apple Music’s Top 25 Singer-Songwriter and Folk charts, marking him as a compelling voice in contemporary indie. But Genesis signals something else entirely: expansion.
At its core, the album is a vibrant, space-drenched alternative rock record rooted in the warmth, groove, and melodic richness of 1970s rock. Across thirteen tracks, Regan sings of stardust, orbiting hearts, emotional gravity, and that peculiar moment when attraction feels like cosmic alignment. Yet this is not escapist fantasy. It is human feeling refracted through celestial metaphor; cosmic, but grounded.
Sonically, the record leans into layered harmonies reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, the narrative arc and atmospheric depth of Pink Floyd and Les Friction, and the melodic imagination of Led Zeppelin, all filtered through a modern alternative lens. There are shimmering electric riffs, warm and groove-conscious bass lines, psychedelic flourishes, and stacked vocal harmonies that give the record both lift and density. Hooks arrive with familiarity, yet feel refreshed rather than recycled.
The production emphasizes texture and color. Analog-inspired tones, swirling effects, and rhythmic pulses create a sense of motion: songs glide, spin, and orbit. Dynamic builds unfold organically instead of leaning on over-polished sheen. Some tracks settle into dreamy psychedelic calm, while others lean into full-bodied 70s-inspired rock energy, bigger drums, fuller harmonies, and bold instrumental passages that widen the sonic horizon. The album remains cohesive in mood while offering enough variation to sustain engagement from start to finish.
Regan’s voice, often described as “aching and timeless” remains the emotional anchor. Even as arrangements grow more ambitious, intimacy is never sacrificed. His lyricism maintains emotional transparency; love is explored not as spectacle, but as sensation. The spark of attraction, the pull of connection, the bending of reality when drawn toward someone, these emotional phases replace rigid storytelling. The result feels narrative without being didactic.
While critics have previously praised the professionalism and emotional sincerity of Regan’s earlier work, on Zero Hour: Genesis those qualities evolve into something even more assured. The production has stepped confidently forward, expanding in scale without losing its warmth. The arrangements feel more deliberate, more dimensional, allowing each instrument to breathe within the album’s space-bound atmosphere. Most striking, however, is the vocal maturity. Regan’s voice has always carried emotional weight, but here it moves with deeper control and resonance, delivering lines with a steadier, more nuanced intensity. There is a noticeable growth in phrasing and dynamic restraint; moments of lift feel earned rather than imposed. The result is a performance that carries a sustained emotional current from beginning to end, reinforcing the album’s sense of cohesion and artistic progression.
Influences from the theatrical boldness of David Bowie echo in the record’s glam-infused confidence, yet Regan avoids imitation. Instead, he hovers between eras, grounded in the classic rock tradition while dreaming forward. The space motif that threads through his catalog becomes a structural principle here: atmosphere as architecture, groove as gravity.
Zero Hour: Genesis stands as a complete sonic experience; an album designed to be played start to end. It subtly hints at being the opening doorway to a larger creative arc, but it does not depend on future chapters to justify itself. In a time when singles often dominate listening habits, Shayan Regan insists on the album as an immersive form.
Warm, familiar, yet exploratory, Genesis is both homage and evolution. It reconnects with the spirit of classic rock while reframing it through a contemporary alternative perspective. The result is a record that feels handcrafted, built piece by piece, and alive with personality.
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