EP Review: Zebrahead: O
Zebrahead returns to impressive form with a new catchy, diverse, and emotionally rich EP, O.
Zebrahead has always been one of those bands that, regardless of the challenges they have faced - and there have been many within their storied career - has overcome them all. As they enter their new EP and this era, Adrian Estrella, their vocalist, has brought the right kind of spice, balancing nostalgia with modern flair in their sound. O represents not only decades of excellence in their unique blending of soundscapes but also a band that embraces more aggressive textures. From start to finish, a restless spirit embodies each experience, akin to the metaphorical whiplash we have all been experiencing lately in modern society. Sometimes it's loud, a lot of times messy, but even more so, despite it all, hopeful and distinctly Zebrahead: a band that has always found a way to turn emotional turmoil and burnout into potential anthems that have always been the reason we return to their music time and again.
The EP kicks things off with “Burn, Burn, Burn” and “A Perfect Life is Such a Bore.” What stands out from the start is how alive this record feels. While Zebrahead’s bread and butter has always been balancing pop-punk brightness with the gritty soundscapes of post-hardcore, here this duality is tested and, at times, even exceeds expectations. The riffs in “Burn, Burn, Burn” are sharper and heavier around the edges, while “Perfect Life is Such a Bore” gives its listeners a bit of “All My Friends are Nobodies” nostalgia we all appreciate. Yet in each of these tracks, there is a new level of emotional rawness being explored, one that feels like crawling its way out of some deep-seated darkness. As the EP continues, some of that darkness dissipates but never quite leaves, something that becomes apparent in one of the EP’s best tracks, “I Know What U Did Last Summer.”
A clear distinction from these last two tracks, but it also feels the most creatively honest when it comes to showcasing Ali Tabatabaee’s and Estrella’s talents as vocalists and the willingness to take their instrumental energies a step further than they ever have in this moment of the EP. While this is one of the more experimental moments on this EP, it speaks volumes of a band that refuses to stay stagnant or complacent in its sound. They refuse to become what some call a nostalgia act, even when they honor the DNA that made them cult favorites in the first place; songs like “Smoke Signals from My Couch” (featuring the horn section of Reel Big Fish) display this in full force. Within its infectious nods to their ska and rock-textured roots, Zebrahead shows ska can still have a place in pop punk or rock in general if done the right way. As someone who has always appreciated the kinds of soundscapes and depth that the ska genre brings, this is a welcome addition to the Zebrahead track library, and I can’t wait to see what more they will do with this sound moving forward.
“Happy Endings at the Movies” and “I Don’t Know How To Put This (But I’m Kinda a Big Deal)” end this explosive and wonderful return to the Zebrahead we have always known and loved. Lyrically, these last two moments only strengthen the album's themes of defiance and vulnerability. There is this lingering feeling throughout this whole EP of trying to outrun your own worst habits. You wake up feeling broken and wanting to end it all, but you decide to try again. While Zebrahead are experts at maneuvering through a lot of these complicated and dark emotions, something about this feels grounded and more secure, and it took time to get back there. Although this happened a while back, Zebrahead had regained a sense of comfort and successful momentum with Matty Lewis as one of the band's definitive vocalists for over 16 years; what many fans don’t realize is that he made a larger impact on the band and had been there longer than their original vocalist, Justin Mauriello, creating a stable foundation for the band to continue. When Lewis left, it took a long time to mend things and regain that kind of comfort again. That kind of magical chemistry that Ali and Matty shared doesn’t just come from thin air. Even though Estrella already knew the band and had friendship ties to them, joining a long-legacy band like Zebrahead is another beast entirely, one that Estrella met head-on. O seems to show that the band has recovered from those wounds and is ready to be who they once were, and it shows in every track. There is this ache of nights spent overthinking, friendships or connections strained from distance, and the fear of getting older and time and music changing from when you started this dream many years ago, yet it's created one of their best releases in modern Zebrahead history.
Zebrahead’s long and successful career has always come from their ability to rise above adversity and evolve without losing themselves. This EP only serves as another chapter to that story - proof that they are always paying attention to the fans, still pushing to always be the best version of themselves despite personal and existential obstacles, and refusing to coast in a music industry that is always changing faster than most can keep up with. Punk isn’t just about rebellion; a lot of times, it's also about resilience. It's about choosing to keep moving even when everything else is questionable and unstable. O meets the world where it's at right now: overwhelmed, exhausted, hopeful, and still fighting.
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