Perth-based band Cross Eyed Lover have released their debut album “Blonde Zombie” in March 2022, an eleven-track assortment of musical delights. Let me state this straight off the bat. I am a huge fan of 80’s glam rock fan and was aware that some members of this band also make up a Perth tribute band called “Hysteria” – 5 points for guessing who.
Track 1 – “Blonde Zombie” – I was expecting something special for the main titled album track and it did not disappoint. It has strong guitar influences, solid drum lines with a pace that would keep a greyhound happy, and it is personally like with an opening track. Loved the lyric “No direction, blank expression, blonde zombie”. The opening track is a fun punchy number.
“Break the Machine” was a slower song, foot easing of the accelerator and allowing me to catch my breathe. I found the guitar in this song played a stronger role and commanded more attention and quite frankly I didn’t want them to end. The chorus of this song is very relatable and has some great relevance in its lyrics.
Track 3 – “Watcha Gonna Do About It” – We are out of first gear and now back into second, the tempo is back up. I had to listen to the lyrics to this song a few times and realized that this song is NOT for the school pick up! It is definitely for the car ride on the way there though…very easy to sing along to and will make you smile.
Track 4 – “Ain’t it a Shame” – This song lends itself in the Aerosmith / Billy Idol type genre – I could hear hints of Poison influencing the track, I love the drums in this song they almost took on the form of vocals which is no easy task.
Track 5 (“Twos Good”) Track 6 (“Back in the Game”) and track 7 (“Jump Start Baby) are three that need to be listened to in quick succession – they tell a story progression in a relationship; I really appreciated the story an integration of these three songs. The flow was on point, and nothing was lost in translation. I felt like I was riding a Harley with the breeze blowing in my hair (mad guitar solo at the end of Two’s Good) then learning the tango with a lover to finishing with the challenges of being in a relationship. The pace was up, the guitar riffs where heavy but not enough that I could not get up.
“Gotta Get Out” – Track 8, a real feet tapper this song. This song was one of my favourites because of the very clever lyrics and how they are so true in the current social climate. This song will resonate with almost everyone. This lyric summed it up for me “being stuck in a rut whilst treading water in the wishing well” – it doesn’t get much more real than that!
Track 9 – “Gutter Crawl” this track was surprising for me the opening was like listening to Tarzan playing a Gibson, it was a cross between jungle and ZZ Top which was a unique blend. It is extremely rock and was a close second for me off this album. I have never heard a more rockstar line than “I don’t like cocaine; I just like how it smells.”
“Slave” – Track 10, very Rage Against the Machines mixed in with Motely Crue (fitting with the 80’s rock just nicely) it felt like a follow on from “Gutter Crawl” and the references added depth to “Slave”.
Final track off the album is “Never Die” – Track 11 – It is fast paced, with no possibility to catch your breath. Cross Eyed Lover definitely wanted to finish on a high! I likened this song to “Ballroom Blitz” one of the most iconic songs of its time. Any song that can incorporate spelling into a rock song has my vote.
In Summary this album ticked a lot of boxes, it had a generous mix of pace and was not just flat out “rock and roll”. I appreciated the intellect that was displayed lyrically in their songs including the smart progression of songs from start to finish. The album was structured in a way that flowed purposefully and made it easy to listen to. There was just the right amount of tracks to satisfy my desire to keep listening. If you love your old school rock with a dash of 80’s influence this album “Blonde Zombie” will leave you asking, “When’s the next Album coming?”
Definitely worth grabbing a copy of the Album or catching them live, all up great debut album.
8/10