Monsters on 45 is a collection of three of Zombina and the Skeletones' previously-released EPs:
Staci Stasis,
Mondo Zombina and
I Was a Human Bomb for the F.B.I.. If you didn't catch them last time round, then
holy living fuck do you ever need this album.
I'm bored stupid by most bubblegum pop, I can't abide what passes for ska nowadays, and I consider horror-punk (with a few notable exceptions) to be something that people who want to be the Misfits do with their spare time. Zombina and the Skeletones kick out ska-tinged bubblegum pop in a horror-punk jacket, and I'm left helpless in the face of their beauty. I'm not just saying this because I love zombies. ZatS are all that is good and pure.
Opener
Zombie Hop sets the tone for the album: fast-paced straightforward pop fun with a keyboard lick that's a cheeky nod to the
Munsters theme tune.
Punk Rock Vampires Destroy keeps the energy up long enough for
Spring-Heeled Jack to kick you in the face, two-tone style. There's not even enough time to pick yourself up from the floor before the full crushing weight of
Red Planet bears down on you, armed with 60's garage-pop guitar riffs and a disgustingly infectious chorus.
The production's choppier than an axe-weilding maniac, mind, as the three EPs appear to have been simply pasted together, which leads to some pretty dodgy transitions.
I Love Rock and Roll (no relation) is somewhat forgettable, which isn't surprising given how much the band have developed since
I Was a Human Bomb for the F.B.I. The eponymous track from that EP is another low point, failing to hold one's interest by refusing to really go anywhere. It's a great setup for
Staci Stasis, though, which comes flying at you with both fists and a vow not to leave your head for a month or two. Things take on a mariachi flavour with closing track
Counting on Your Suicide, which wouldn't sound out of place on the soundtrack to
From Dusk Till Dawn.
A short album, then, but one whose replay value is limited only by the fact that it'll eventually wear out or melt or get lost down the back of someone's couch. It’s a shame that there's no new material on offer, but then this morsel is only an appetiser for the new album to follow in December …
Monsters on 45 is out now. Stop reading and go buy it.
http://www.zombina.com 
