Album Focus: Zerodent

Zerodent launch their self-titled debut album at The Boston this Friday, May 20, with help from Cold Meat, Rinehearts, Nerve Quakes and The White Swallows. Alex Griffin reports.
Predrag Delibasic (better known as Pex) knows a few things about getting a band going.

Having had a hand in a bevy of legendary Perth punk acts (Bamodi, SMRTS, Night Signals, it goes on) Zerodent is the latest and brightest. Working with fellow luminaries Louis Hooper, Lee Jenkins and Kenta McGrath, their debut LP, Zerodent, is speedy as hell, no-frills and addictive, full of hooks and elbows, like Royal Headache playing Pink Flag.
As Pex puts it, the no-nonsense approach is pretty bottom up for the foursome. “There were no influences at all. We just wanted to start a punk band. We consciously opted for a clean sound, at least when it comes to guitars; we didn’t want to hide behind the distortion and kill the melody.”
International attention wasn’t slow in coming; after putting a demo online, Eric Friedl from Goner Records quickly offered a standing invitation for the iconic Gonerfest (“It’ll happen if we get a grant,” says Pex), and the revered German label Alien Snatch! picking the record up for vinyl.

“After the album was finished we sent it to about 20 labels. Alien Snatch! Records replied right away saying they loved it and want to put it out. No contract, just an internet handshake.”

That’s not the only high profile help they’ve had; Jim Diamond from Chicago’s legendary Dirtbombs mastered the record for vinyl, with local hero Gravy Murphy responsible for the digital master (“A top bloke and the Master of the Mastering!” Pex enthuses.)
Despite his storied career, this is the first time Pex has turned his hand to writing the lyrics. “I wrote all the lyrics apart from Lucky - kind of a cover of a song by my first band Sokkol - and You, for which I wrote the first verse and Lee did other two. I admit I enjoy this new experience of writing lyrics, but every time I hear Lee’s bits in You I wish he did it instead,” Pex jokes.

In this era of renewed vinyl fetishism, it’s not just big bands clogged up by the delays involved with Dave Matthews Band 6-LP sets, as Zerodent already have another record ready to go while waiting for this one. “We recorded the album in July, 2015, and due to the usual delay with pressing plants it only came out in April this year. So in the meantime we have at least another album worth of songs and we hope to start recording them soon. We’re off to Melbourne for two shows in July, then hopefully the US in September.” 

Originally published in X-Press Magazine