Having come into being from the beautiful, shattered world of the UK’s early 90s alternative rock scene, returning band Tabitha Zu was always going to be one of those bands that knew the art of collision instinctively. This was music that existed in an almost ethereal space where the grime and visceral nature of the sound met with out-of-this-world pop melodies, all united by a distinctly punk attitude. The band’s frontwoman, Melanie Garside, was at the forefront here, establishing her status through intense, white-hot live shows that left crowds mesmerized. “On Reality,” their signature single, has finally gotten some recognition and praise that it so rightly deserves lately, and continues to remain a regular part of my playlist to this day. On May 22nd, we’ll get another treat in the form of their newest single, “Heard It Before.” Here’s hoping this track lives up to the hype, so let us take off our coats and find out what makes it tick.
From the outset, the track sets the tone by establishing intimacy and a sense of purity through a sequence of bare strings played on the guitar, leaving the sounds hanging out there in the open space. However, before you can sink deeply into this intimate space, an atmospheric transition occurs whereby the strings get transformed into a haunting mouth percussion instrument. The use of these instruments in this particular way establishes a breathless buildup of anticipation, finally leading to the explosion of the track in all its intensity. Herein lies the beauty of the opening introduction; the listener is prepared to expect something amazing in the subsequent sections.
The fundamental fuel driving the theme in the song comes in the form of a clear-cut understanding and clarity brought about by exhaustion. This enables us to be introduced to a character who has finally had enough and cannot take any more of the recurring pattern of events in a seemingly stagnant environment. Asserting her independence as the person in question, she draws a very strong line and lets her opponent know exactly how much she knows about the whole thing. There is no more time for sweet promises as she has been lied to over and over again, and she will not stand for it anymore. What sets her apart from the ordinary individual in such a situation is that there is complete finality in the tone she uses when stating the facts about the upcoming excuses, apologies, and grand gestures that they will throw at her. She knows it all.
The driving beat and melody of this song are created by a stellar combination of musicians, including the thundering precision of John Hamilton behind the drum kit and the deep foundation provided by Phil Stevenson on the bass. On top of this ferocious beat is the unmissable power provided by Melanie Garside (known as Maple Bee in this group), delivering both an intense guitar performance and a powerful vocal performance. The synergy between these three musicians recalls the magic that made their iconic second single, “On Reality” (1992), so great, successfully capturing their signature act of balancing fragile beauty with searing intensity. This track rightly brought them significant recognition in the alternative music community and helped to secure their place in the history of a fast-changing and innovative genre of music. Today, they still have the same dangerous duality and intensity, and their ability to marry chaos and melody continues to shine through.
As soon as Tabitha Zu’s first-ever single, “Heard It Before,” has made its way onto the digital plane, one thing is certain – the start of an overdue yet much-needed renaissance has begun for this incredibly talented band. This marks my second discovery of a masterpiece by this band, and every time I listen to it, there is one thing I always ask myself: Where has this band been hiding from all my life? This is something truly special about their music, a certain vibrancy within it that cannot be defined or explained. The band’s music somehow fills me up with this creative energy, like no other song in recent years. And it is still at the very beginning, making me impatient with excitement about what comes next.
Stream “Heard it Before” on Spotify.
Follow Tabitha Zu here and their socials: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Bandcamp
