Going Nowhere Fast

Zebedee

Independent release, 2024

http://zebedeetheband.bandcamp.com

REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/24/2025

The Brooklyn, New York quintet Zebedee return with a sophomore album, where their psych-rock ways are present and admired for a diverse ten songs that embrace the members’ roots in Australia, Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The building and swirling energy of the title track leads and makes an immediate impression thanks to Kelsey Van Mook’s dense guitar licks and frontman Zebedee Row’s flowing and deep vocals. “follow me, following followers.” then continues with Don McKenzie’s hard-hitting drums that suit the thick climate of the multi-faceted and powerful rock.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Approaching the middle, the atmospheric and scrappy “For God’s Sake” comes with some charming vocal acrobatics and much melody, though it’s the uniquely rhythmic “Dark Magik” that soars with alt-rock moments and Michael Benham’s meticulous bass acrobatics. “Izon Horizon” might be the best track present (although there isn’t a dud to be found, really), where Fred Seddon’s animated guitar complements the buzzing rhythm section and nearly prog-rock fueled ideas.

Landing close to the end, the intimate “I Don’t Know Where Your Phone Is” employs acoustic guitar but doesn’t waste time escalating into a controlled chaos approach, and “Vulture Culture” follows with a charged and post-punk flavored exit of raw intensity that expresses Row’s disdain for the status quo.

Influences like The Cramps, Queens Of The Stone Age, Black Flag, The Viagra Boys, Black Sabbath and Captain Beefhart won’t be hard to spot here. Other genres like desert rock, surf-rock, stoner rock, jazz, funk, neo-psych, psychobilly and garage rock aren’t off the table either.

The effort was produced by the Grammy award winning engineer Daniel Avila, and it captures a band on their way to being an outfit that might just become everyone’s new favorite rock band. Or maybe it’s just me.

Rating: A-

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