Three, two one, let’s go! Californian punk band zebrahead don’t like to do things the conventional way. The band have just released new EP I via MFZB Records, the last in a trilogy of releases that began in 2021 with III, followed by II in 2023. Now, we end the run with a five-track record filled with high-energy punk and rock tracks.
I Have Mixed Drinks About Feelings is a great song title and a thunderous start to the EP, as a guitar solo leads into drummer Ed Udhus unleashing some powerful beats with the sticks. Ali Tabatabaee and Adrian Estrella share vocal duties and it works really well during the chorus, as they thrash out the lyrics “We’re not alone, we’re with our friends/These are the nights we won’t forget”. This anthemic track will be going down really well on the current European tour. The band have been releasing a new track every five weeks cumulating in this release, and next up is Pulling Teeth. Tabatabaee excels on this one with his powerful rapping and screams. After the departure of co-vocalist Matty Lewis in 2021 after sixteen years with the band zebrahead looked to Adrian Estrella to fill his shoes and with these EP releases he’s done a great job we think.
Doomsday On The Radio begins with a catchy “Na na na” and is sure to be one of the tracks from the EP that gets the crowd surfing going on the tour – something we experienced at their show in Glasgow last January as part of their Slam Dunk tour, where they attempted a “world crowd surfing record”.
Elsewhere, Sink Like A Stone has a very hooky bass riff running through the track and yet another catchy chorus. Estralla takes most of the vocal duties on this one with just a little rap metal from Tabatabaee, giving it a Linkin Park or Limp Bizkit feel.
The fourteen minutes of in-your-face punk music is over too soon and the last track Puppet Stringers is the heaviest track on here, leaning towards metal at moments and ending an EP that should have wide appraisal. zebrahead haven’t sold 2.5 million albums for no reason.
The band’s European tour continues into December and they have two UK dates planned for 2025, appearing at Slam Dunk Festival in May.
Standout Tracks: I Have Mixed Drinks About Feelings, Doomsday On The Radio, Sink Like A Stone
For Fans Of: Sum 41, Yellowcard, Goldfinger
Written by: Alan Brown
