In 1973, both David Bowie and Elton John debuted iconic looks along with new albums: Bowie the lightning-bolt face paint of the glam rock singer’s Aladdin Sane and John the rhinestoned jackets that would become his live-show signature after Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Cedar Rapids native Landyn Zane references both costuming choices with electric blue lightning bolts and decorated suits, so it’s no surprise he’s inspired by that bygone era of pop superstars.
Without giving over too much to throwback aesthetics, the singer deftly toes the line between an assortment of ’80s-inspired dance beats and song structures, with a hyper-online DIY pop-star sensibility. There’s a new showman in town, or rather, Landyn Zane’s a “coming attraction.”
Zane’s new EP Coming Attractions arrives at a fascinating time for both the artist and the cultural landscape. The project lands between Zane’s yearlong stint chasing dreams in L.A. and his Top Pop Artist nomination at the Iowa Music Awards. It also documents the dizzying highs and lows of the early Gold Rush for social media virality. He’s taken these lessons to heart across the EP’s six tracks, singing of a “young rising star once born in the wrong place,” while still waxing poetic about “Cedar Rapids snow.”
Zane’s looking to become a traditional popstar — propelled by a sound combining a Cher dance hit with the indie-synth sound of The 1975 — in a music landscape where male popstars and boy bands have all but evaporated, and maximalist hyperpop rules the record labels. Coming Attractions makes a strong case for authentic, theatrical artistry against the algorithmic hit machine.
Each song on the EP has its own personality and film-inspired character, appearing across promo materials and in the music videos for the project. Zane wears a suit bespeckled with blue and white flowers for introspective pop ballads “Died on the Vine” and “Sleep in the Backyard.” Dancier tracks like “Talking to the Dead” and “How Much For Your Love?” see the singer in an American Psycho transparent raincoat and galaxy-themed Canadian tuxedo. Zane leans into a compelling narrative-concept EP approach, with care and an attention to detail that punches way above its weight.
Coming Attractions shows large-scale production chops, drenched in glittery beats and layered vocals — clever packaging for lyrics of exasperation from day-to-day grinds. As befits any pop star, there are also hopes for sweeping romance. The track “Strange Love” provides a core synth-pop representation of what Zane hopes to capture in his already prolific 40-song catalog, with a bouncy chorus, off-the-cuff snarls and yelps baked into high-pitched builds and the alluring repetition of backing vocals, all wrapped up in crystal-clear production.
As with all good things, the songs must come to an end, and the six-song collection, introduced with a retro movie theater-style set-up, ends with the sound of a film reel whirring to its completion. The credits might be rolling but the EP lingers with its danceability, its flair for both the dramatic and personal. As much as “your favorite Iowan pop star” leans into the visual branding of a curated pop persona, the lyrics gave ample glimpses of the artist under the blue paint.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s August 2026 issue.
