I – Zebrahead (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Punk, like any genre, has to move with the times. Those old enough can remember those days when flashes of belligerent brilliance and artistic antagonism were oases in a sea of turgid three-chord thrashes. But, it is, ironically, the bands that followed who have been consistently more punk than punk ever was. Bands like Zebrahead.

Although formed long after the echoes of the original punk scene had faded into the night, driven by a love of bands such as Fugazi and Descendents, they blended more intricate musicianship with pop accessibility, rock energy with hip-hop deliveries, ornate instrumentation with rabble-rousing lyrical roars—roars that actually had something to say. And they are still at it, as I, their latest EP, shows.

Ahead of the actual EP release, they have dropped an array of songs. The latest, “Sink Like A Stone,” shows that they have lost none of their original bite—an anthemic assault on the senses and brimming with more energy and action than any number of first-wave punk bands.

“Pulling Teeth” sees their rap inclinations battling with their rock urges and doing so brilliantly (whoever said these two were opposite camps?). The punningly-titled “I Have Mixed Drinks About Feelings” feels like being caught in the headlights of a hip-hop juggernaut as it careers into the path of a rock and roll freight train coming the other way.

In its original form, punk came and went in the blink of an eye; why, well, most of it wasn’t very good, or at least added little to the musical landscape. Zebrahead has been doing this for thirty years…draw your conclusions!