EP REVIEW: II – Zebrahead

Sometimes, a change really is as good as a rest. ZEBRAHEAD would know better than most; since the introduction of frontman Adrian Estrella, the band have been riding a wave of renewed vigour. 2021’s III saw them click as a unit pretty much immediately and now, in phase two of a countdown trilogy of EPs that will constitute a full album of sorts, it’s all about whether the California skate-punks have the tricks to maximise that pent-up energy with follow-up effort II.

Spoiler alert: they do. II is an addictively impressive affair, a 16-minute straight dose of exactly what makes ZEBRAHEAD so good; no-holds-barred, us vs the world pop-punk with more genre dipping than you can shake two sticks at. Opener No Tomorrow sets that stage expertly, caught in time between the rose-tinted past and the colder truths of the present day with two middle fingers directly up at the idea of changing for anyone.

With that said, though, the most impressive thing on display here is the sheer variety of sound that’s been crammed into five tracks. Yes, the basic formula remains mostly the same – lead vocalist, rap breakdown into the chorus, “we’re still ZEBRAHEAD, by the way” – there was never going to be much variation there. It’s what they’re doing with the stuff outside their expected output that stands out. II runs a wide gamut from straight metal to all horns blazing ska but not a second of it feels out of place. Licking On A Knife For Fun starts as soft as you’ll find, before bursting into a SUM 41 meets BEASTIE BOYS barrage that rides an absolute beefcake of an opening riff to success. Skip ahead to the booming Middle Seat Blues, meanwhile, and it’s all about crashing, distorted fills and screaming frustration that invokes a much angrier beast altogether. The band have always been masters at making wholly different sounds play together nicely in the same sandpit and this is nothing less than them operating at top gear.

Even in more familiar territory, though, II feels fresh from the pack. Evil Anonymous is the dancefloor general in full regalia, a ska-frilled tyrant that simply commands you to get up and throw yourself around (and you will). There’s plenty of that trademark ZEBRAHEAD moodiness on display, too; F.L.F.U might drag a little as a closer, but it still has that heart and soul present and correct and features a speedball finish that rights most of the maudlin. But even then, the maudlin feels more potent and passionate than in previous showings. This feels like a band who are putting everything into what they are doing right now, driving forward with their combined weight at just the right times to make the impact of the scrum pop.

Packed to the rafters with the sort of madcap, genre-bending liveliness that made ZEBRAHEAD such an immediate draw in the first place, II pumps up the tempo and very rarely pumps the brakes. Even the more morose moments are cut with infectious zip and swagger from a band who seem to have that dial tuned in just right. ZEBRAHEAD feel like a new, exciting thing all over again, and if I follows this trend later this year, 2023 might just be a vintage year for top quality, all-genres-welcome style punk rock.

Rating: 9/10

II is set for release on February 3rd via MFZB Records/Avex Group (Japan).

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