Words by Michael Dickinson / Photos by Marcus Maschwitz

Judging by current musical trends South African outfit Zebra & Giraffe are destined for big things. We’re talking Tim Westwood “big tings”.

Zebra & Giraffe encompass a sound that is not entirely rock, or indie, or electro. No it’s something all together mixed up. Let’s call it RoDieTro. Fans of MGMT, Empire of the Sun and The Killers will like this sound but there is also cry to the early-noughties American rock/emo sound. Essentially you can’t really pin point this bands sound other than it’s undeniably rock-in-origin.

The brainchild is vocalist Greg Carlin, who cut his teeth as singer and bassist with group White Lie. After achieving moderate radio success the group disbanded to concentrate on their uni studies (always good to have a back up plan). Carlin went to work for JustMusic where after an unfortunate tenure in charge of their digital sales he approached the label boss with his own demos and was quickly snapped up.

It’s not hard to see why. From this label deal came the 2008 album ‘Collected Memories’. Of the ten tracks on the album seven made their way into the Top Ten Charts of national and college radio stations in South Africa. The compulsive mix of catchy hooks, impassioned lyrics – mostly about relationships – and ever changing musical styles make the album hard to dislike. Aside from the comparative bands mentioned there’s also elements of Sisters of Mercy, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Echo and The Bunnymen and The Cure. So yes, there’s lot’s of keyboards at work but they never take focus away from the primal rock at the heart of the beat. Techno, metal, even R&B have their parts to play on the record. Which is all the more impressive as the album is essentially a one-man affair.

Lead single ‘The Knife’ encompasses the majority of Carlin’s themes and sounds. Driven by swathes of synth wavelengths, it spins the yarn of a relationship riddled with deceit and backstabbing “if you ever feel the knife, running down your back, you’ll know it’s mine”. It’s like Yazoo at their most extreme and bouncy. It’s a catchy tune and to this date the bands most widely know track. The notion of romance in turmoil runs throughout the lyrics. Songs like ‘Black Crow’ and ‘Arm Yourself’ touch on deranged relationships. Tracks like ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ and ‘Oxymoron’ deal directly about the battle between man and woman. ‘Oxymoron’ sounds like a more metaphorical version of Jay-Z ‘Venus vs. Mars’.

Romance and the break down of it are at the fore front of the lyrics, it gives ‘Collected Memories’ a rough concept album feel, tracing the stages of the a relationship. It’s not exactly groundbreaking source material and occasionally indulges in some weepy sentiments – “Now every night I lie here and cry… I’ve got a spade, dig up a grave, bury me inside”. But musically it’s never short exciting. Each song, no matter how similar in lyrical content, changes in tempo and sound each time. Sometimes the piano leads in some kind of Evanescence-like ballad but is quickly blasted away by 80’s plastic drums and relentless guitar grind. It’s a delightful hodge-podge.

Zebra & Giraffe did not become a fully fledged band until Carlin decided to tour the album and assembled a crack team made up of: Alan Shenton (guitar), Darren Leader (drums), Andrew Maskell (bass) and Miek Wright (keyboards). It’s this new crew that have worked with Carlin on the latest album ‘The Inside’ released in September this year. It is produced again by Darryl Torr in Johannesburg and written by Carlin with Shenton and Leader. The album retains all the first albums best qualities and expands on them. The songs sound fuller, harder and in that great tradition of film sequels… darker.

Currently touring South Africa, I don’t think it will be too long before come knocking on Europe and the US door. Seek them out, rewards lie within.

Live music video for Zebra & Giraffe’s 8th single ‘Pariahs’.

All footage shot at The Killers support shows in Johannesburg + Cape Town (South Africa) by Karl Anderson. Edited by Warwick Allan (Mushroom Media).