Upon receiving this CD for review I was expecting to hear yet another cliché kiwi “rock” band... You guys know what I mean, that unfortunate kiwi sound that could be described as the deformed love child of pop rock and indie.
But to my pleasant surprise I was made to eat my own doubts upon hearing November Zulu’s first single “Adrenaline” which caught my attention straight away with catchy groove based riffs and clean pop rock vocals, not to mention actual vocal harmonies rather than the usual vocal overdubs.
The surprises kept on coming as I continued to listen to the album hearing the versatility of their musicianship going from rocking grooves to slow chilled out tunes almost rock ballad in nature.
The digital sound on some of the guitar tracks helps to give it a more modern sound that you can’t help but nod your head too, and the vocal harmonies throughout show a refinement that only experience can give.
It is refreshing to hear something different come out of the NZ rock scene for a change and I will definitely be keeping an ear out to see what they come up with next!
Finding time between laughing has been November Zulu's biggest battle thus far. After a flying start several years ago, the five mates from school have had far too much fun taking the piss out of each other to let a pesky album get in the way.
Since their first single 'Deceit' and the release of 'Second to None' - their latest video & single featuring Dane Rumble - we've heard their brand of rock music being used through various media from Performance Car TV to the recent Sky Sport coverage of the All Whites World Cup qualifying campaign. They're now back to finish what they started and have been in the recording studio with award-winning engineer Andrew Buckton (Studio 203).
2010's NZ Music Month saw the Zulu boys return to The Kings Arms, before heading straight back into the studio to put the finishing touches on their full-length debut album 'Black Yellow White'.