Kizmet at East Village

Zachary Freitas mines narratives from deep within his emotional interior to craft songs that are both poignant and accessible.

No easy feat.

Freitas honed his sentimental sensibilities through years of reading and writing poetry, as well as listening to his primary influence, the late Elliott Smith.

“[Smith] was the best thing since the Beatles to me,” he says. “I had never heard anyone whose lyrics were so well-written and captivating.”

Freitas’ emotional intuition is apparent on the track “Angels Pray for You” on his band Kizmet’s 2015 release Death Is a Blessing. The song is about Freitas’ cousin passing away in a car accident.

A fuzzy guitar and crisp, up-tempo piano notes prevent the track from dragging into instrumental despair. The lyrics surrender sadness to fate: “But I guess what never comes next/ will be best in the end/ all the things that coulda-woulda-should have been remain in heaven.”

While Freitas is the primary lyricist, he collaborates with pianist Mathew Crist, drummer Mathew Virak and newly added bassist Kelvin Shammy to write arrangements.

Crist frequently listened to Nirvana during the conception of Death Is a Blessing.

“He pushed me toward hints of ’90s alternative rock,” says Freitas.

That sound resonates in “Blue Suede Blues.” Freitas’ gravelly, angsty vocals sound like he’s hurtling toward an epic meltdown.

The lyrics are equally as angst-ridden and anguishing: “It’s no damn use to step into these shoes/ I’ve been there a million miles before/ Back and forth.”

Kizmet is currently recording a new album to be released in early summer of next year. They are recording it at Tool Shed Studios in Morgan Hill, where Grammy-nominated artists including Los Tigres Del Norte have also recorded. Freitas says the focus of the yet-to-be-titled album is social commentary.

“It’s about how we worship television and work dead-end 9-to-5 jobs just because everyone else does,” he says.

He also promises a mysterious reference to Lord of the Flies in the lyrics of a song currently in progress.

The band plays frequently in San Jose and Santa Cruz. They play in Monterey for the first time this Saturday with openers Funk Nation.

KIZMET 9pm Saturday, Dec 19. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. 373-5601, www.eastvillagecoffeelounge.com