Space Age Zeros – Strange New World

Have you ever heard of Channahon, Illinois, no me neither, but I have now, and after being dragged like a rag doll on a speeding roller coaster that’s out of control through this debut album from Space Age Zeros, and I’ll have to say its like being born into a ‘Strange New World’ where every band the has ever played pop punk just hit the blender. Born only 2 years or so ago SAZ as I’ll now call them (nice name that actually) released an EP back then, an EP that blazed a trail for what this band are about, this is music that’s of its time using music before its time as a base to start from, this album is like a Mr T Experience on an adrenalin rush.  

I have to admit that when track one first hit my ear drums it was a bit like hmmm will this get better, ‘Fireworks’ is a catchy straight up pop punk blast with not too much substance, great, but not earth shattering.  Ah but wait a second up next is ‘Merry Go Round’ which throws its early Green Day riffs and vocal at you, and the real fireworks begin, “this is what we fucking want we want!!” I hear myself saying, a song that’s not only gonna stick in your head, but have you heading to the fair ground next chance you get haha.  What’s so prevalent with this debut is the influences that drive it, its got every pop punk sub genre nailed to its mast and this band have no problem using every inch of history to make something new.  

Its now that things get really interesting, the songs pick up their pace, variation abounds, and your given some down to earth songs, songs that speak of life and its trials, songs like ‘April First’ which speaks of nothing more than losing someone, the feeling of loneliness when your best friends no longer around.  ‘Jet Lagged’ a fast paced hit on the tour/work phenomenon, living the rat race. ‘Smile’ the look back and smile, when you realise how much fun life used to be, how when being young and carefree was the only thing to do, and talking about getting older, ‘Sister Golden Hair’ takes you to the time when you finally realise that settling down with the love of your life might actually happen.

I guess/hope you see/hear the theme here, its an album of trails and tribulations, its where life is given room to grow, you won’t find any politics or social inequalities, it doesn’t bother with anything else the ordinary, this makes it so refreshing and personal. Ending the album with the acoustic ballad ‘You Hate Me (I Love You)’, might be seen as a bit of a standard thing to do, but to be absolutely honest, this is an album that screams for this track to end it, a love song with a twist, it wears its heart on its sleeve just like the rest of the album. If your a fan of early punk like the Buzzcocks, Ramones, Weezer, The Adverts, or late 80’s early 90’s pop punk, then this is 100% for you.

This is an album that strikes of friends having an amazing time making music, it takes myself all the way back to when punk first hit, not the anger or the rebellion, but the fun, and the living life with people you want to be around, people the same as you, all this mixed with the trials of life you may even miss now, more than you realise.

Simplicity of melody and lyric that’s filled to the gunnels with everything that’s good about Punk Rock.

Out September 13th Via Mystic Records

Head on over to the bands Bandcamp and Facebook for much more info.