- After hundreds of live shows, two EPs and moving their frontman into a recording studio, Electric Zebra’s debut album is their most diverse release to date. Confessional Sports is a highly organised bundle of ‘90’s-flavored riffs, twisted to sound a little different and just a little weird. Recorded though the first half of 2019 at share house/recording studio Bedlam Records, it’s a demonstration of efficient songwriting and how to have a bunch of fun in forty minutes or less.
Listening to this record the first time is an exploration. You get assaulted by thrashing power chords with Seen It All, inspired by the simple, soaring guitar licks though I’m A Natural, before the fascinating Valley Of Leeches arrives out of nowhere. Featuring guest vocals from Screamfeeders’ Kellie Lloyd, it’s a song that sits comfortably alongside uncanny Brisbane classics like Custard’s Girls Like That, or Regurgitator’s Polyester Girl, and it changes the direction of Confessional Sports immediately. The album’s title track is a beautifully short serenade, perfectly placed before the heavy hitters step in to take you home.
Electric Zebra display a remarkable confidence and willingness to edit their creations. There’s no indulgence here, every piece of every tune serves a purpose, even if it’s not immediately obvious. You might expect the radio friendly chorus of Saturated Blue to get stuck in your head, but it’ll be the meandering refrain from Valley of Leeches that you’re singing to yourself three days later.
For the band’s frontman Keelan Sanders (also engineer, producer, mixer and designer of the album’s art), Confessional Sports continues his exploration of what vocals can do when you make them count. Sitting comfortably on a spectrum between Violent Soho’s raw energy and British India’s precision standard, he takes every chance to grasp your ears’ attention with vibrant melodies.
The album’s penultimate track The Making Of is a perfect example, beginning with reserved vocals, sensible guitar and a tidy rhythm section, before bursting into a joyous chorus that you’ll think you’ve known your whole life. It’s easy to picture the sunburnt, slightly sloshed punters singing along on a summer afternoon at The Riverstage. Confessional Sports is packed with happy little discoveries like this, and is a pleasure to explore.
- Cam Pekin.