Zebrahead – II EP

So, this is the second EP in a series of three, coming on the tail of 2021’s III EP, which I personally loved, and will presumably culminate in I EP. Confusing marketing strategy or not, what Zebrahead deliver on II, is their trademark good time pop punk, fuelled by heavy guitars, sunning themselves on a mid-west beach, complete with shouty/rappy vocals, and super pop harmonies.

Opener No Tomorrow is classic Zebrahead, and tackles the proverbial topic of “leave me the fuck alone” sentiment, which you might say is nothing new, but that is exactly the point of this type of song, and to be honest feels even more pertinent in the digital 21st Century. This idea continues on second song, Licking On A Knife For Fun (which is a brilliant title in my opinion), and contains the often used phrase “I’d rather die on my feet, than live on my knees, who needs enemies, when I have friends like you?”. Ok, so nothing particularly groundbreaking or earth shattering in these lyrics, but this type of music isn’t really about changing minds, and delivering thought provoking prose. At its heart, this is good time Rock ’N Roll, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, because we all have far too much reality to deal with now, and let’s face it, we all need a bit of fun. 

Evil Anonymous is next and adds a flavour of Ska to proceedings in the verses, before the poppy chorus. It’s my least favourite of the five tracks on offer, just because it doesn’t quite have the sing-a-long hook of other Zebrahead songs. For some reason, Middle Seat Blues brings to mind fellow Americans Lit, which is an odd comparison, but that’s the strange way my mind works. Anyway, dodgy comparisons apart, this song kicks the proverbial, and it’s really a close run thing with final song F.L.F.U. as to the highlight of the EP. The latter is the most pop of this collection, and although it’s a break-up song, it is far from melancholic, and almost leaves me with a sense of euphoria in the end.

Zebrahead are masters at covering all bases (well, save for the downtuned, self indulgent twaddle of the extremities of guitar music), and they have again put out a set of songs which will leave you smiling at the conclusion of 17 minutes of listening.