Damaged Bug, the synth driven solo project of OSEES frontman John Dwyer, has released a new single titled ‘OVER-EXPOSED,’ taken from the forthcoming album ‘ZUZAX,’ due out March 20 through Deathgod Records.

The track arrives as a slow burning ballad that leans into a softer side of Dwyer’s songwriting, offering a moment of calm inside an increasingly intense atmosphere.

Dwyer describes the meaning behind the song plainly: “Over-exposed is about keeping your chin up in the tumult. Not to sell yourself for nothing and to take a breath. Everyone is lost right now. Stay strong and know who the enemy is. They are smiling while burning the world.”

“‘OVER-EXPOSED’ follows the earlier single ‘END OF THE WAR,’ a rhythm-forward track that set the tone for the new album and builds on the sound Dwyer explored in his previous Damaged Bug release, ‘Bug On Yonkers’ (2020).”

The new album ‘ZUZAX’ has been a long time in the making. Dwyer recorded the material himself over a seven year stretch between 2018 and 2025, gradually shaping the songs while juggling other projects and releases. The finished record pulls together eleven tracks that bounce between warped pop structures, off center melodies, and restless rhythms, giving the LP a loose but compelling momentum.

As Dwyer explains about the record’s origins: “40 or so Damaged Bug tunes from the past seven years were orphaned / unfinished, which is pretty rare for me. I just kept having other things going on & life kept getting in the way. And frankly, the songs were all over the place so I didn’t see a thread in there, but in light of current events in the world, I feel like It’s every artist’s calling to construct personal messages cloaked in moments of escapism. That’s what this record is for me–something to clear the decks a little bit in my studio, relax my mind, and keep the wolf from the door. It’s a bit of a joyous/sad record dealing with hope and forgiveness, two things which I hope end up more in my life.

It’s abstract and poppy, fried and sugary.
It exactly how I feel at the moment fried and skewed.
Good luck out there and I hope this turns off the torrent for you, for a moment.”

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