Suburban Zombie is Punk/Pop Punk band out of Long Island, NY. The band consists of Daniel Labbato (vocals/guitar), Andrew “Sugarrr” Lichtenstein (bass/vocals), Bryan “Butters” May (guitar) and Dan Avellino (drums). According to their Bandcamp bio, “they are known for playing a “throwback” style of pop punk that is reminiscent of 90’s and early 00’s pop punk, while also being influenced by newer pop punk bands as well. A great blend of everything you love about the genre that no one should miss out on”. I couldn’t agree more! Suburban Zombie creates music that all Pop Punk fans will fall in love with. With multiple EP’s under their belt and a new single, Dog Days, that was just released last week, Suburban Zombie is on track to make a killing in the music scene!
Suburban Zombie released their EP, “Where the Sun Doesn’t Touch” in 2016 and “New Years, New Tears” in 2017. The growth that the band made between the creation of these two EP’s is clearly evident by the production, quality, sound and style of “New Years, New Tears”! That is not to be taken that the first EP wasn’t good, because it definitely was! On “New Years, New Tears”, you can hear the maturity in the band’s sound. With this EP, Suburban Zombie perfected their sound and style and honed in on their craft!
This past Friday, June 16th, 2018, Suburban Zombie released their newest single, Dog Days. I have been listening to this song on repeat since the band sent it to me a couple of weeks ago. The song reminds me of a crazy mix between Allister, Blink 182 and The Story So Far. I love the way the song starts off strong with typical Pop Punk, fast paced guitar chords and drumming to match! Any true Pop Punk fan will start rocking out the second they hear this song! I got the chance to talk to some members of the band who gave some great insight into the creation of the single. Dan Avellino stated that “the song was written about the feeling of nostalgia you get from reminiscing about the past but also that feeling of depression when you realize everyone you spent so much time with and made so many memories with have now faded from your life.”
After listening to Dog Days, you will feel the exact same way about the song. “When I was younger nothing ever changed, then I lost my hunger for the better days. But when those nights were around, and the sky’s were our guides, the only time I ever felt alive, don’t want to memorize”. I can’t get enough of these lyrics. It describes the feeling of nostalgia so well, the way so many of us are desperately trying to hold on to our past while attempting to move forward with our lives. No one ever wants to think that the best days of their lives are behind them, and they have nothing that will top, or even equal that in their future. “Don’t want to memorize” is the part of the song that stuck with me the most. We don’t want to have to rely on memories of better days in order to keep moving forward, despite how great those memories may be! Somewhere between youth and adulthood, many people lose their “hunger for the better days”.
Dan Labbato shared what he went through while writing Dog Days. “In the process of writing this song I was taken back to my childhood several times, reminiscing about walking around the mall and playing games of manhunt in the street. But also remembering everyone who had moved on from my life without hesitation”. Coming to grips with this harsh reality can be extremely difficult for some. It is awesome that Suburban Zombie was able to put all of these emotions into one kick ass single!
Suburban Zombie is yet another awesome Punk/Pop Punk band out of Long Island. Seriously, if you’re not listening to half the music I’ve written about so far then you are missing out! Every band I have written about is amazing, and Suburban Zombie is no exception! Check out their new single, Dog Days, and other music of their’s on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!