Biography

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zach Burba is the nucleus of Iji, a whimsical indie pop band with D.I.Y. aesthetics. Pronounced "ee-hee," the band was formed in Phoenix, Arizona by Burba, his brother Luke, and a friend when the musician was 15 years old. He borrowed and eventually adopted his dad's 16-track digital recorder for the project. When Burba became more ambitious than the others about writing and performing, he started a folkier solo project called Seashells as an outlet for more material. After members of Iji -- which later also included a girlfriend -- began dropping out, Burba combined the entities and stuck with the Iji moniker. In the meantime, he played in other area bands when there was demand, and likewise had musician friends help out with his shows, including tours. Iji found an enthusiastic fan base in Seattle, and when a friend offered housing, Burba relocated to the city in 2008. While touring regularly over the next several years with a rotating group from his interstate network of musician friends, he recorded a number of singles, split releases, and cassette albums, many with the Lost Sound Tapes label. Iji's first proper studio recording was Whatever Will Happen. Recorded at The Unknown in Anacortes, Washington, it also marked the group's Team Love Records debut in 2015. While on tour in support of the album, Burba had his band keep dream journals that inspired the next LP, 2016's Bubble, also released by Team Love. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi