Fire Track: Damaged Bug – “End Of The War”

“John Dwyer fries the circuits again — Damaged Bug returns with a warped pop missive for strange times.”

Damaged Bug is back with a new LP, ZUZAX, landing March 20 via Deathgod Records. The record is led by the propulsive opener “END OF THE WAR” and marks the first Damaged Bug release since Bug On Yonkers. John Dwyer is in full mad scientist mode.

The new single grabs you fast. Drum machines lock in, synths wobble and pulse, and Dwyer’s sense for a hook cuts straight through the haze. It’s twitchy, danceable, and just off enough to keep you leaning forward. Classic Damaged Bug energy with fresh voltage running through it.

ZUZAX took the long road. Recorded by Dwyer between 2018 and 2025, the album pulls from a deep stash of once stray ideas that finally found a shared frequency. Across eleven tracks, the songs zigzag through rubbery rhythms, bent melodies, and textures that feel melted and intentional at the same time. Nothing sits still for long, but it all somehow holds together.

Lyrically and emotionally, the record feels tuned to right now. There’s escape baked into the grooves, but also a lot of reflection. Dwyer frames it as a release valve — a way to reset, forgive, and keep moving. The mood swings between light and dark, sweet and scorched, landing somewhere that feels honest and lived in.

If ZUZAX is a studio clean out, it’s the kind where you find something better than what you were looking for. It’s loose, human, and buzzing with feeling. One more left turn gem in an already stacked catalog.

Pre-order ZUZAX:
https://damagedbug.bandcamp.com/album/zuzax