Tabitha Zu – Heard It Before

What comes to your mind when someone mentions alternative rock music? Soulful vocal performance, lush guitar works, and groovy rhythm section? While these elements defined high-quality alternative rock before, those days are, sadly, long gone. If you pay attention to what’s happening on the scene nowadays, many artists and bands seem too repetitive, predictable, bland, and most of all, soulless and emotionless. Compared to the early nineties, music nowadays seems like just another money-making tool in a world where fake emotions delivered by industry plants reign supreme. But, if you make a throwback into the early nineties, an era where alternative rock and grunge were staples on the radio, and when every artist and band delivered music that meant something, you’ll realize this was the best era for considering soulful, emotional, powerful rock music. Tabitha Zu’s music exemplifies how three profoundly creative musicians can sound more sincere, confident, and powerful than anything the music industry created for the sake of money-grabbing. And although “Heard It Before” was crafted over three decades ago, it still sounds like a song you would gladly revisit anytime you crave some cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music. So what’s about this composition that stands out from anything the modern music industry might release nowadays? First of all, the blend of different yet complementary styles that flawlessly work together. As soon as you press play, you’ll notice you’ve been dealing with a catchy, memorable, engaging alternative rock composition, but as is usually the case, there’s more than meets the eye once you take a deep dive into the song’s core. Beneath the dominant alternative rock sound, you’ll hear how the mixture of indie rock and post-punk melodies roam around while the rhythm carries that wild grunge and punk rock energy. Everything is so carefully, thoughtfully, tastefully assembled to satisfy even the pickiest listeners.

At the heart of this marvelous composition is Melanie Garside’s incredible vocal performance. Her blend of soulful, passionate, powerful, high-pitched lines and more calm, soothing, deep harmonies makes this composition such a treat for anyone’s listening apparatus. The way she balances low, mid, and high notes goes beyond comprehension so many times throughout the entire composition, and her voice sounds even more powerful as the song progresses. With the additional vocals floating around, at particular moments, this composition almost carries a shoegaze or dream pop ambiance, making it even more complex than any other alternative rock song you could hear nowadays. And the guitars absolutely shine here, with all those lush, ethereal, captivating chord progressions delivered on acoustic guitars and generously distorted riffs delivered on electric guitars. This interplay sounds so luxuriant, detailed, and otherworldly, showcasing Tabitha Zu’s creative force. That combination of acoustic and electric guitar makes this song so catchy, memorable, and worth spinning over and again. Beneath all those lush guitar works, there are equally impressive basslines, rumbling around and contributing all the warmth, depth, clarity, and power this composition needs in any moment. While those deep, dense, heavy low ends offer tremendous groove to this song, it’s safe to say that they do not overwhelm the remainder of the instrumentation, proving that the band thought about everything while crafting this song. And the excellent drumming performance, based upon groovy, energetic, well-accentuated rhythmic patterns, perfectly suits those orchestrations. Every beat, break, fill, accentuation, and other sonic maneuver has its place and purpose, keeping the remainder of the band in line while dictating groove and pace. Everything sounds superb. “Heard It Before” is a definite statement of intent by the band that refused to be pigeonholed into a singular music genre. It represents the captivating, otherworldly, ethereal sound of Tabitha Zu, a band that was always ahead of its time. Although released over three decades ago, “Heard It Before” still sounds so fresh, unique, and innovative, like nothing you could experience of contemporary music scene, thanks to the brilliant ideas and exceptional musicianship of Melanie Garsid, John Hamilton, and Phil Stevenson. If you love your alternative rock as soulful, emotional, and fascinating as it could possibly be, Tabitha Zu’s “Heard It Before” is a perfect choice for you.