Photo courtesy of Giulia McGauran

In the decade since the world was introduced to sibling trio Sheppard, their music has brought them to places they never would have imagined. This last year has given them a lot to be thankful for: the 10-year anniversary of their multi-platinum single, “Geronimo”, their latest album titled ZORA and a warm welcome to their new home base of Nashville, Tenn.

2024 has been equal parts growth and rebirth for the band. While ZORA is their fourth full-length album, there is a magic in its 16 songs that give the listener a deeper look into the moment in time they captured.

ZORA is a complete listening experience that pays homage to their grandmother. It was released on the summer solstice, making it the ultimate release date for an album that was themed around the sun. The word “zora” means “dawn” in Croatian, which is also their grandmother’s name. The title track is first on the album, while “Sumrak”, which is Croatian for “dusk”, is the final song.

The album is meant to tell the story of an entire day, from a golden morning sky to the brilliance of twilight. They admit that this is their most vulnerable album to date, and although it was difficult to write, they were fairly confident when it came time to release it.

“Because of the level of personality in it and the level of vulnerability in it, it does feel like it’s a bit more of an accomplished piece of art and you can’t wait to share it with people,” George Sheppard said. “There is that element of nerves that go with it because you’re releasing something that is so vulnerable, but at the end of the day, I think that’s what people really connect with. The more real and raw it is and emotionally connected it is to yourself, I think people really do relate to it more and they connect with it better.”

Like their previous albums, they never go into the writing and recording process with the intent to create an album. They released their third full-length, Kaleidoscope Eyes, in the middle of the global pandemic, with no chance to give it a moment to shine on its own world tour. Instead, it resonated with an online audience while Sheppard went straight into writing and recording new songs.

“Any band will tell you that touring is the best part of the album cycle because it’s when you get to actually see the fans and connect with people and hear the stories that our music is affecting their lives,” George said. “We didn’t get any of that, so we were really upset and disappointed that all our hard work felt like it had just been dropped in the ocean. So we got straight to work, and a lot of songs are about holding on through dark times and writing to make ourselves feel better.”

As they continued writing, they collected songs that clearly had a theme. George compared it to sculpting a piece of pottery: start with something small and slowly add to it until it becomes more clear what the final product is meant to be.

Like any piece of art, however, it is difficult to know when to stop.

“You can keep working on it,” he said. “You can keep perfecting it, you can keep adding bits, you can keep taking things away… You obviously get to a point where you’re really happy to have it out there, but you could just keep on working on it if you had infinite time to just keep on adding things.”

It can also be challenging to admit when a song just isn’t going to work. Typically, Sheppard will finalize a track listing of 15-16 songs as they feel it is only fair since there is a two- to three-year gap in between album releases. There was a song called “Private Party” that they worked on for months, but no matter what they tried, it just didn’t fit the overall theme. It was heartbreaking to make the decision to leave it off the album, but it was the right choice.

The most rewarding aspect of creating ZORA was finding the perfect opportunity to add a piece of their grandmother to the final product. They knew they wanted her to be an integral part of the album, whether it was a song specifically about her or having her voice mixed into one of the tracks, but it was Amy who remembered George had saved a voicemail he received on his birthday from her. It was one of those moments where he knew he needed to hold onto this memory, and it became the perfect outro.

The release of ZORA has coincided with their first U.S. tour in several years. They wanted this album to have its best chance to connect with the world and they felt that being in the States was the best way to do so. After months of deliberation and another year getting the proper credentials, the siblings and their partners packed up their lives to chase a dream on the other side of the world.

The first half of the tour was admittedly the hardest. There was the worry of ticket sales, the lack of a crew and connecting with an audience who hadn’t seen them in years. This time around, there are no tour buses or stagehands. They set up their own equipment. Their partners are their tour managers, guitar techs and photographers. Taking on these new roles has taught them an important lesson: they are capable of more than they thought they were.

“It's been so amazing to see how we’ve all come together as a team and we’re pulling this together on our own,” George said. “I’m so proud of us… I think it’s the most important tour we’ve ever done for that reason. I'm really grateful for the people around me.”

The second half of the Say Geronimo! Tour starts on August 20 in Denver. Tour dates and tickets can be found here.