Song of the Week: “9Lives” by Zet Zero

If you’ve seen local shows with The Dimaggios or Space Cops on the bill, Zet Zero has likely been there too. The post-punk band formed four years ago and currently consists of Cory Zimmerman (vocals/bass), Mikey Uptmor (guitars), Steve Calvillo (drums), and Dan Garrett (keyboards).

As for writing “9Lives,” Zimmerman says, “I came up with the main riff before anything else. I brought the song to Steve, and he instantly got that groove in I had floating in my dome. Mikey cleaned it up with some rhythm and a tasty, sweet lead line.”

And lyrics such as “Like a cat with nine lives we’re gonna lose them one by one and love it”?

“I wanted an energetic topic to write about to match this upbeat number,” explains Zimmerman. “So I, as I do with a lot of my songs, wrote about a romantic encounter that I had and how it was just fluid.”

Written before the pandemic, the “stuck inside” version of “9Lives” highlights the isolation most people felt during 2020’s lockdown as the band members were separated from each other. Instead of having an angry or frustrated tone — didn’t everyone develop that sooner or later? — the song is fast-moving and positive.

“Upbeat” — à la Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs — describes Zet Zero’s songs like “Absolutely Nothing” and “No Molly No” as well as the band’s stage show.

“We provide all the crowd members an energetic, luscious show!” Zimmerman says. “We get into our songs with flamboyant flair! Our goal is to keep everyone titillated by our sound!”

In addition to playing regularly around Waco, the band is also working on a new single, “Getting Anxious.”

Upcoming Zet Zero shows include the 2nd Annual Halloween Monster Ball at Brotherwell Brewing on October 30.

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