Dom Daley.

Hailing from Berlin Zoo Escape have thrown everything into the washing machine without a care for what Genre they fit neatly into and they just about sum it up on the opener ‘Butterflies’ which hammers along like The Libertines meets Johnny Thunders but giving less of a fuck what people like me think they sound like and as it rattles along with a caustic riff it stops and starts it breakdowns with some limp gang vocals attempting some oh-oh ohs like The Dolls used to but quickly the band stab back into action and away they go like new wave never happened. When they say they don’t give a fuck I think they mean it, man!

The arrangments are great and at times they really take flight and sound like they’re having the best of times but I doubt these things take shape by accident either and a clear love for the music shines through. ‘Petals’ has subtle keys holding the sound to ransom as the band heads off in one direction you have a subtle keyboard lurking. ‘Let ME Bleed’ kicks back and we get taken on a dreamy journey until the 1-2 -fuck you and they’re off.  Great tune real euro power pop at its best.

The general theme of the album is some great songs about love and loss and timeless topics of excess and daydreams and what ifs Zoo Escape cover all bases and do it oh so well.  These songs are well crafted be it fast or slow ‘Apart From Love’ has hints of classic Billy Bragg tied up in its almost six minutes.  Is this punk prog? who knows who cares as it ebbs and flows.

 

The video for ‘Fleur De Lis’ gives a fairly decent representation as to what the band are about but my favourite would be the jittery charm of ‘Suicide Pop’ and its new wave no wave the album has energy aplenty and curiously nailed on the end is a Japanese version of ‘Beg For Love’ which sounds great even with the English words for the song title breaking the flow of the Japanese.  Why not I say it just adds to the quirky nature of this band and what they do.

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