The punk revival is usually a musical genre that is underestimated by many and hailed only in relation to bands like blink-182, Sum 41, and Offspring... namely bands that have brought the genre international success. Many bands of this genre were formed in the second half of the '90s under the scorching Californian sun and while many of these dissolved after a few years, zebrahead have shown enviable longevity by delivering their latest effort "Get Nice" to fans this August.

If I had to define this (master)piece of work, I would say it is "the MFZB of Matty Lewis" since the sound, arrangements, and structure are reminiscent of that album that in 2003 brought a large fan base to the zebra heads. Certainly, this conviction was significantly encouraged by the opening track: "Blackout" because the first time I listened to it, I paused for several minutes, realizing the similarity of the first seconds with the historic "Rescue Me"... anyway, the album kicks off in grand style because "Blackout" is anything but banal and boring..a heavy song just enough to make you shake your head and shout the lyrics to the world with all the energy that can come out of your pores, already presenting itself as one of the best tracks on this album. Other gems of fine craftsmanship on par with this piece are the "Offspring-esque": "Demon Days" (a perfect closure for this album), "Galileo Was Wrong", the hit single "Ricky Bobby" (a note of merit also for the lyrics), and "The Joke's On You" (probably my favorite of the whole album). The characteristic of the aforementioned tracks is the typical zebrahead metric with a guitar riff and consequent solo, dominant rap in the verses and a chorus as engaging as possible, giving rise to very energetic and anything but trivial pieces. Alongside such gems, there are the classic inescapable pop punk ballads in albums of this type, where the band, however, shows it is never predictable by bringing to light some very easy listening tracks, maintaining the band's typical previously mentioned metric.

Among these, you cannot but mention "Nothing To Lose", the second single (and title track) "Get Nice" and the catchy "Nudist Priest", in which for a moment the desire to make noise is set aside to begin to jump more freely and happily with a smile on your face. To briefly sum up, "Get Nice" features a pleasant seesaw of cheerful and more catchy ballads where there isn't much to reflect on, heavier tracks that strike from the first listen (both with the right dose of rap within them), and more anonymous tracks that sometimes present a pleasant series of musical mixes (most notably the highly engaging "This Is Gonna Hurt You Way More Than It's Gonna Hurt Me"). Once again, Zebrahead presents itself as a band that has no intention of disappointing the fans, creating as honest a work as possible where there is some brief hint at the old "MFZB" sound while maintaining their current verve, which makes them (in my opinion) one of the best bands in the current alternative scene.

My judgment may seem biased since they are my favorite band, but it seems more than fair to say that if you love fast-paced and rhythmic punk rock without too many frills where, however, the concept of QUALITY resides, I would say that this "Get Nice" is the album for you.

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