Ain't Nobody Left But Us,
ZatopeksAs the end of the year approaches most of us at punktastic tend to look back over the years releases. However, during that process I realised we hadn’t yet got round to reviewing an album that came out quite some time ago. This is the Zatopeks with their debut full-length ‘Ain’t nobody left but us’.
It’s very hard to describe exactly how the Zatopeks sound, but a phrase that often crops up is ‘Lookout Records style with a 50’s vibe’. Whilst this doesn’t tell the whole story it will give you an idea of what to expect. This is a band that blends rock and roll, great vocal harmonies and a massive sense of fun. They don’t just apply the 50’s vibe to the music though; many of their lyrics and song settings are a homage to the sights and sounds of that era.
The opening track ‘The summer I fell in love with Jimmy’s girl’ gives an idea of what is to come over the course of the album. This is a track that features glimpses of rival gangs, jukeboxes and a big chorus with those aforementioned vocal harmonies. ‘City Lights’ proves to be a real highlight. The first line “The City lights up like a cigarette” leads into a tale of broken hearts, set against a great musical background. ‘Mary Lou’ reminds you of a time when all songs were about a girl. The chorus on this one sees the band in full punk rock mode. ‘The boy done good’ proves to be another example of how well the Zatopeks can do pop-punk songs. The quality on this album is consistently high throughout but the final trio of songs raise the bar again. ‘Sophie Scholl’, ‘De Niro come on’ and ‘At the Dive’ are a fantastic end to a great album.
‘Ain’t nobody left but us’ is quite simply one of the best albums I’ve heard by a UK band this year. The Zatopeks give you an album stuffed full of punk, pop, rock and roll, humour, nostalgia and great songs. What more could you ask for? I urge you to check these guys out as they just might be your new favourite band.
www.zatopeks.com
www.stardumbrecords.com
Mark
