Tabitha Zu – On Reality

In the early nineties, times when alternative rock, grunge, punk rock, and other similar genres thrived the most and many renowned bands released their best works, it was so easy to get lost in a vast sea of excellent music outlets that never got the chance to get big. Still, many of them left an immense impact, especially on their local scenes, motivating younger musicians to grab their guitars and start to rock. These were the times when many recordings were lost, or simply they were left forgotten due to the length of time. One of those acts were Tabitha Zu, a band that was a part of the early nineties UK alternative scene, who built a reputation as a compelling live act, playing over 150 shows across the UK in a single year. The trio has released two 12” extended plays and one 7” before their lead singer/songwriter, Melanie Garside, went on to have a successful solo career as Melanie Garside and Maple Bee, as well as band projects Vertigo Angels, Huski, and Moontwin. Decades later, the band decided to release their works on streaming platforms, with “On Reality” being the first one in the row. “On Reality” is the title track from their three-song EP released in 1992, and it definitely stood the test of time, due to its timeless appeal.

With its wild, punk rock energy, grunge rock rawness, post-punk melodies, and alternative rock base, “On Reality” is a marvelous composition that will unquestionably appeal to even the pickiest fans of these music genres. The band obviously thought about everything while assembling this composition. As soon as you press play, you’ll notice how each vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver has its place and purpose, making this song such a pleasant listening experience worth repeating over and over again. The song arrives with a perfect structure, garnished with clever arrangements, profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and outstanding musicianship. Melanie Garside’s soulful, passionate, emotional, sincere, confident, and powerful vocal performance serves as a centerpiece, elevating everything to new heights, commanding attention, and guiding listeners on an epic journey through an expansive sonic universe. Her voice seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, emphasizing everything the band intended to achieve with this song. Besides decorating all those segments and orchestration, her vocal performance also contributes more than necessary emotional depth and complexity to an already intricate song structure. You’ll notice how the additional vocal layers during the choruses give more depth and create an almost anthemic vibe.

In the meantime, the interplay between acoustic and electric guitars shapes a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. First, you’ll hear how all those chord progressions, delivered on a perfectly recorded acoustic guitar, shape that jangly, angular, clean sound, while the electric guitars contribute a more raw, abrasive, aggressive sound through the generously distorted chord progressions and riffs. You’ll also notice how the catchy, memorable, engaging, ethereal additional themes, melodies, and harmonies during the choruses elevate this composition to an entirely new level. This interplay between several guitar layers makes “On Reality” such an addictive and hypnotic song, worth spinning again. It’s nearly mindblowing how all these layers articulate together in the mix, without spoiling each other, proving that Tabitha Zu thought about everything while writing, composing, and recording this song. This composition wouldn’t sound complete without the equally impressive rhythm section. Beneath all those lush guitar works, you’ll hear how intricate, warm-sounding basslines rumble, offering more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth while simultaneously acting as a binding element between the mentioned orchestrations and rhyhtmic patterns. These deep and heavy low ends contribute more groove and detail without ever overwhelming the remainder of the instrumentation. The exceptional drumming performance, based upon energetic, tastefully arranged, flawlessly performed beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, keeps the remainder of the band in line while dictating groove and pace. Every instrument has its place and purpose here, making “On Reality” such a brilliant song.

“On Reality” is a definite throwback to the early nineties, the times when alternative rock and grunge reigned supreme. This composition not only showcases all of Tabitha Zu’s creativity, talent, skills, and experience, but also how musicians back then thought about every single detail when assembling their songs. If you love your alternative rock catchy, energetic, and powerful, then “On Reality” will be right up your alley. It’s a treat for every true alternative rock fan!