ZEX - Savage City / Wanderlust (double review)
Electric Assault Records / Wired For Sound Records
Sometimes you discover something cool on the internet by clicking on links and browsing through random websites. Sometimes this involves naked women, most of the time it’s to still my hunger for hearing new music. This is also how I came across ZEX, still a rather new, female fronted punk band from Ottawa, Canada that just released two EP’s around the same time, “Savage City” (Electric Assault Records) and “Wanderlust” (Wired For Sound Records), that blew my mind! Since both singles only contain two songs each and the fact that they’re released around the same time made me write up this double review, something I haven’t done before… so wish me luck!
First I’d like to start with the “Savage City” EP that is released by Electric Assault Records, which I believe is the first of the two singles that came out and of which is also an official promotional video clip available online. The title track, “Savage City”, is a mid-tempo rocker with a real 80’s hardrock / glamrock vibe to it. This is the sound I was practically raised up by when I was a little kid and where most children / teens start to rebel against their parents’ taste in, well pretty much everything, I adopted it beyond believe! But I really get my kicks out of the B side with “Buy Or Die”! Fast paced punk that could easily be described as a modern day version of The Expelled fronted by Jo, Vice Squad or Girlschool. A lot of punk, rock and glam going on here, and I’m fuckin’ loving it!
Second EP is called “Wanderlust” and is released by Wired For Sound Records. Although the sound doesn’t differ that much from the “Savage City” EP I definitely hear a more melancholic vibe back in these songs, that slightly reminded me of Swedish female fronted punkrock bands like Gorilla Angreb and Terrible Feelings but with much more of an attitude! There aren’t many punk bands out there these days fronted by a woman, actually, there never were especially if you compare them with the rate of male fronted bands out there, so when a new band pops up I always hope it’s good and ZEX is real good if you like it raw and in your face, but yet still very melodic. Both “Wanderlust” and “Escape This Life” totally rip it up if you asked me!
The band mentions hardrock, nwobhm, Oi!, punk and glam as their influences on their Bandcamp page, I would simply describe it as ’77 punkrock intoxicated by glam and having an overdose on hardrock! Something else than the usual Oi! and hardcore I listen to, but certainly no less! This rocks and the artwork kicks ass too! Can’t wait for their full-length album, “Fight For Yourself”, that is coming out next month! One of the best new female fronted punk bands I have heard in a while!
