Zoon is a Canadian shoegaze band from Hamilton, Ontario, whose core member is Anishinaabe musician Daniel Monkman.[1] They are most noted for their 2020 album Bleached Wavves, which was a shortlisted finalist for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize.[2]
Originally from Selkirk, Manitoba and a member of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Monkman moved to Hamilton after stints living in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Calgary, Alberta.[3] They abandoned music for a number of years during which they struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, before getting sober with the help of the traditional Anishinaabe Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers.[4]
Monkman reestablished their musical career in Hamilton,[4] initially using the band name Bloom before adopting the name Zoon from the Grandfathers' teaching of zoongide'ewin (bravery and courage).[3] The band, whose music blends shoegaze rock with elements of traditional First Nations music in a style which Monkman refers to as "moccasin-gaze", features a varying lineup, with its current members being guitarist Daniel Wintermans, bassist Drew Rutt and drummer Andrew McLeod.[3]
Selected tracks from Bleached Wavves were released as an EP in 2019,[3] before the full album was released in 2020 on Paper Bag Records as the band's full-length debut.[5] Monkman has also collaborated with Adam Sturgeon of Status/Non-Status in OMBIIGIZI, who released their debut album Sewn Back Together in 2022.[6] Their 2023 album Bekka Ma'iingan was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize,[7] and received a Juno Award nomination for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024.[8]