In the world of Blue Zero, CONFUSION is clarity. One year ago, multi-band Bay Area scene freak Chris Natividad presented his thesis statement on noisy, post-punk explorations with his latest project on their debut album, colder shade blue. Like any proper debut from a nascent band, plenty of great — albeit, respectfully familiar — ideas could be found within the static for listeners to dig through while leaving next steps for the project to figure out where to go from there on an ellipses.

A sonic sense of focus plus the added foundation of solidifying the band into a four-piece alongside Lauren Melton, Rick Altieri, and Maddy Allard has since given Blue Zero a clearer direction. On their latest EP — a rock-solid four-track move toward friction-filled cohesion — the Oakland quartet feels more solidified in their identity of their flux sound: there are many that they can and will do well, all at once.

Hacking into Sonic Youth’s destroyed room architecture and the casual Madchester ‘gaze of blur’s Leisure, Blue Zero do so in the spiritual reverence of subversion. They wonder what could have happened if the former alternative icons had never backed away from barreling toward mass appeal like they did after Dirty (“CONFUSION”) while if the latter maintained its melancholia loudly upon drifting into the global atmosphere (“DON’T BE LONG”). With Natividad already having enough going on in his busy mind with the post-punk glum of Marbled Eye and the shoegaze luster of Aluminum, it makes sense that he has made Blue Zero the multiplicity of noise as pop music.

Highlights: “CONFUSION”, “ROTTEN ANGEL”, “DON’T BE LONG”

Blue Zero’s CONFUSION is available now.

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