Apathy is common feeling expressed in music, and on The Zoltars debut album Should I Try Once More, an aggrieved but unhurried singer works his way through the process of falling in love again. Early highlight, “You Can Take IT If You Want,” demonstrate how beleaguered the character has become, singing “I walked down an alley and its dark and I can’t see, and you pull a gun on me, but I’m breathing easily, You’re a little bit confused, and a little bit amused, and you’re just about to shoot, but I just stare at your suit.” Sung in a voice that struggles to muster any ambition to alleviate the situation, the music suddenly swells and now the vocalist is angry that he can’t be left to his own miseries.
The album does proceed as an entire act, with each song playing as a scene in the story. The early songs flow from apathy and a struggle with numbness, to frustration and anger in the middle of finding a perfect girl and being utterly hopeless. On the title track, he asks himself whether he should try again despite past failure, the first action taken by the character thus far. By the end, he has managed to fall in love again but with the added fear of what could occur should he fail again. A fear that he finds comforting.
Musically, I’m reminded of Cloud Nothings first material. Focusing on 4/4 time, the singers of each relied heavily on emphasizing each beat, not only with the instrumentation but with the vocals as well. Smooth guitars slowly wind around the consistent drumming and simple bass lines. While Zoltars do not match the fierce energy of any Cloud Nothings work, they do have a certain style and they stick to it doggedly, a characteristic of the S/T work by CN. I would not be surprised if The Zoltars take a big step with their sound on the next album. Until then, Should I Try Once More is certainly sufficient and a fantastic listen.
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