Review: Zoanoids / Proton Packs – “Split 7″”

Hey Pizza Records / Mom’s Basement Records – 20 May 2022

Zoanoids and Proton Packs combine forces for four tracks of horror, sci-fi and espionage inspired pop punk goodness.

Zoanoids are a newer band, formed in 2019. They come from a magical place called Kalamazoo. The mysterious trio play a dark but catchy style of pop punk that’s heavily influenced by science fiction and horror movies. The Lillingtons immediately come to mind. Their self-titled full length from 2020 is a personal favorite and has remained in heavy rotation. 

Their second LP is due later this year, but in the meantime these two new songs will have to hold us over. The first one, “Abandon All Hope”, is a somber, slow burn with lower register vocals. It’s a cool song, and unlike anything else the band has done. “Cemetery Nights” is closer to the upbeat punk sound we’ve come to expect from Zoanoids. It’s another great track and adds a tasty, atmospheric synthesizer riff for good measure.

Proton Packs are an Italian band that has been around for a lot longer. They’ve released four full lengths and a bunch of singles, splits and EPs since 2005. Fellow Italians The Manges and Latte+ would be good musical references. Lyrically, “Follow the Protocol” and “The End of Everything” tap into dystopian ideas of subterfuge and doomsday. The two bands compliment each other well, and both will likely convert each other’s fans. Isn’t that the point of splits?

For vinyl fiends: Each label has their own color variant. Hey Pizza’s is red, and Mom’s Basement’s is green. It’s got cool black and white artwork, but no insert. As a matter of fact, it continues a negative trend I’ve been noticing a lot lately. It came with no inner sleeve at all. You know that this anal retentive collector added one.