Sunday, June 19, 2022

Proton Packs/Zoanoids - Split 7"


If you're gonna do a split, this is the way to do it! Hey Pizza! Records, Mom's Basement Records, and I Buy Records have their united their superpowers and released a split 7" featuring two of the top pop-punk bands on the planet: Zoanoids and Proton Packs. Zoanoids out of Kalamazoo, Michigan took the pop-punk world by storm with their debut album in 2020. Here they return with two more top-notch tracks of gothic pop-punk. I'm usually not much of a death-punk guy, but I've got to admit that this band has pulled me to the dark side. When it comes to writing songs, executing a sound, and owning a distinctive style, Zoanoids are as good as it gets in this genre of music. A "feelgood" horror song sounds like a contradiction in terms, but "Cemetery Nights" is exactly that. What a smash! Italy's Proton Packs, the founding fathers of ecto-punk, have been standouts in the Euro pop-punk scene for 15 years plus. Their sci-fi/conspiracy theory brand of darkness is a little more up my alley. In any case, they make ideal partners for Zoanoids on this split. "Follow the Protocol" is more on the pop side of things and one of the catchiest tunes you'll hear all year. "The End of Everything" is textbook pop-punk done right. I imagine that any super-fan of modern-day pop-punk would already be familiar with both of these bands and probably own this record already. But if you've been living on a faraway planet or recently became undead, here are a couple of bands you really ought to check out. Vinyl copies on blood red and slimy green are going fast!

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