Zombina and the Skeletones- Staci Stasis

Zombina and the Skeletones are back with Staci Stasis, a brand new 7" EP that finds the band shedding their horror rock/pop/punk exterior for an equally quirky affair with a 50s/60s sci-fi theme. Blowing by in a mere 7 minutes and change (but certainly deserving of repeat play), the release features 3 new tracks of 60s-rock-meets-new-wave-meets-modern-power-pop fun.

The EP's title track and "Red Planet" are both exceptionally infectious slices of pop. The former, a bouncy, energetic, hook-laden number with both pop-punk and 80s new wave/rock overtones, is the EP's highlight. The latter, oddly enough, is a poppy rock number with hints of The Romantics' "What I Like About You" that's likely to appeal to fans of early B-52s or even retro/modern hybrid j-pop bands like Puffy AmiYumi. In between is the more raucous "Astroboy", a juicy slicy of distorted guitar-driven 60s rock-infused powerpop.

While Staci Stasis shares its quirky sense of humor and fun factor with the band's previous work, it's quite different musically, displaying a more straightforward pop-oriented dimension of Zombina and the Skeletones; a dimension that, in fact, is rather surprising given the band's name and history, albeit pleasantly so. It may hold a bit less appeal for the goth crowd than previous releases…actually, the band have more or less completely skirted the gothic genre altogether this time around…but it also, arguably, contains some of the catchiest and most intuitive material they've released to date. With the stylistic diversity and strength of their recent EPs, it will be interesting to see where they go on their new full-length, due out early next year. Until then, the brief but exceptional Staci Stasis EP will likely take up permanent residence in your head.