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Rough Cut Diamonds was recently nominated for our 2025 Up & Coming Artist Of The Year and with the release of their recent project Contour we got the opportunity to sit down with this mysterious team of artists.
1/30/26
Zomb Slays: Where are you from and how old are you?
Rough Cut Diamonds: For origin we are spread across the country with different environments and upbringing but now we are based in LA. Age-wise, we’re in that space where you’ve lived enough to know what matters, but you’re still hungry for more experience.
Zomb Slays: What’s it been like growing up there?
RCD: Each place came with its own pace and stillness with different pressures and opportunities. We each learned the ability to translate experience into sound which helped us form our own individual style.
Zomb Slays: What were your early music experiences like?
RCD: At first it was very internal. A lot of trial, a lot of unfinished ideas, a lot of listening more than performing. The early experiences weren’t polished, they were about learning how to trust instinct and sit with sound long enough for it to say something.
Zomb Slays: How did you initially start making your own music?
RCD: It didn’t feel like a decision at first. Making our own music just became the next step after listening for so long. You start with small experiments, then one day you realize you’re not just responding to sound anymore…you’re shaping it.
Zomb Slays: How did RCD come together?
RCD: It emerged through alignment. No structure at first, just shared frequency and mutual respect. For real, things came together naturally. We were already moving in similar circles, making things independently, and at some point those paths started overlapping.
Zomb Slays: What are your plans for 2026?
RCD: 2026 feels less about output and more about refinement. We’re focused on deepening the world we’ve started building and expanding the sound, the visuals, and the way people experience the project as a whole but parallel along that in search of what’s next creatively.
Zomb Slays: What was it like making Contour?
RCD: Making Contour felt immersive. It was like discovering a dark room and with every step inside the vision became more clear. A lot of the process was about listening closely, to each other, to the material, and to what wanted to emerge instead of forcing it
Zomb Slays: What would you like new listeners to know about your recent project?
RCD: It’s less about individual songs and more about the world they create together. If you give it space and let it play through, you’ll start to notice patterns, moods, and moments that feel intentional rather than obvious.
Zomb Slays: Do you have a favorite song off of it?
RCD: The favorite is always the one you’re inside of. It really shifts from day to day. Some tracks feel closer at certain moments, others come forward later. The project was designed as a complete work of art that can work as a sequence, but picking one feels like pulling a single frame out of a film.
Zomb Slays: What are your next plans after this project?
RCD: Letting it keep forming and paying attention to what wants to come next creatively instead of forcing it.
Zomb Slays: What is your artistic process like? How long does it particularly take for you to make a song?
RCD: Our process is mostly about listening and responding. We start with fragments. You know sounds, ideas, moods and then build outward from there. It’s very intuitive. We rarely start with a fixed plan, we lean into a feeling or a texture we want to explore.
Zomb Slays: What keeps you making music? Do you have any overall goals?
RCD: We feel there’s always another layer to explore. It’s a way of understanding ourselves and the world around us. The goal isn’t to arrive anywhere specific,it's more about letting the work keep evolving.
Zomb Slays: What are you doing if you aren’t making music? What keeps you going in life besides music?
RCD: We’re just living. Mainly working, but along with that dealing with relationships, family, habits, trying to stay balanced. Music is part of life, not separate from it.
Zomb Slays: Who are your top 5 favorite artists of all time?
RCD: It’s hard to narrow it down or rank, but the artists that come to mind are the ones who treated music as a full sensory experience. Think Stevie Wonder, Prince, Tame Impala. Not just for the sound, but for how immersive and intentional their work feels
Zomb Slays: Any last words or shout-outs before we sign off?
RCD: Just gratitude to everyone who takes the time to really listen. We appreciate spaces that allow music to exist without rushing it.
Listen To Contour: open.spotify.com/album/0Hqh29iw2Yy7Tk3etpNm5K?si=ONGY3peNRT6iah9Z9Jywcw
Written By Zomb Slays: linktr.ee/ZombSlays
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