Zebrahead – remember Zebrahead? Late ‘90s, early ‘00s? Pop-punk riffs meet nu-metal rap? On every party playlist of your teenage years? Well, you’re in for a treat as they take us back to some of their most popular tracks of the past with The Early Years – Revisited – a collection of re-recorded tracks paying homage to the band’s first three albums.
While Zebrahead still hold a place in many a punk fan’s heart, you can’t deny they were very much of their time when they started turning heads. The domination of pop-punk and the chaotic uproar of nu-metal were the biggest alternative genres of the early ‘00s – and Zebrahead took on both of them.
Opening The Early Years – Revisited is ‘Check’ which, unless you were living under a rock at the turn of the century (or too busy partying to remember it), will absolutely remind you of Limp Bizkit and transport you back to the music that Zebrahead were surrounded by whilst recording these songs. It’s not the only track that jogs our memories – ‘Get Back’ would have set the dancefloor on fire with its lively rock-rap rhythm; that’s if you could catch your breath after throwing some serious shapes to ‘Now or Never’!
Over here in the pop-punk corner, we have ‘Jagoff’ – one of the most chilled-out, summer-time intros to a punk song… Ever! It’s such a fun, carefree track, and with the release of this album hitting us just as the weather gets warmer, we wouldn’t be surprised if this song resurfaces on many people’s summer playlists! The good vibes continue with the bouncy pop-punk riff of ‘Someday’ and the Simple Plan sound of ‘Playmate of the Year’; it’s hardly surprising this song has remained such a favourite! For those who argue that Zebrahead are too heavy to be pop-punk, you simply have to check out the lyrics to ‘Wasted’ – “How does it feel to scream without a sound, one more time? Because I’m still wasted.” Does it get much more pop-punk than that?!
The Early Years – Revisited also includes two tracks from the present – ‘Sex, Lies and Audiotapes’ is punkier, with a more hardcore style influencing the rap verses, while ‘Devil On My Shoulder’ captures today’s resurgence of pop-punk with an appropriately All Time Low “WOAH!” opening the song.
For those who missed Zebrahead’s fun, fast, fresh sound the first time around, now’s your chance – and you should grab it with both hands!
