Zombieloaf’s debut album Pelican Bay captures a punk sound ten years in the making

A debut album nearly a decade in the making carries the weight of high expectations, especially for a band whose gigs have captured the attention of thousands of San Fernando Valley indie punk fans since 2016. Translating the electric energy of a performance onto a record may seem challenging and limiting to some, but for Valley natives Zombieloaf, their debut, self-produced album Pelican Bay lives up to the promise of their creativity, bold musical choices, and talent.

As the album flirts with subgenres and tempos throughout its runtime with punk, rock, and alternative, Zombieloaf has discovered a signature sound that makes each track on the album distinctively theirs. While it might have been easy to create copy-and-pastes around their first original single “COROLLA BENSE” (which dates back to a 2016 SoundCloud demo), the album documents the exploration of their boundary-pushing sound throughout the last decade. 

The album bursts out of the gate with “KALONYMOS,” an eclectic track that shows a little bit of everything Zombieloaf has to offer, with a prominent, driving drum track and melodic guitars à la Social Distortion. Lead singer Damian Torres showcases his unique vocal range with full-bodied harmonies in the chorus, followed by a heavy hitting, distorted breakdown. “HEATED” brings a lighthearted, funny tone to the album, telling the down-to-earth story of burning mac ‘n cheese in the microwave with fun gang vocals in the bridge. 

Pelican Bay injects a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) with “BREATHE,” the ambient anthem marking the center of the album. The drums thump like a heartbeat behind ethereal verse vocals and spacey guitars, setting the stage for guest vocalist Drea Bella. She creates a dream-like ambience in the chorus, her pitch-perfect belt perfectly complimenting Damian’s. The song explodes into its high point with an impeccably written bridge into a soaring final chorus. 

Frontman Damian Torres up close and personal on the barricade. Photo by Nathan Ross @nathan109pics

One of the album’s strongest features is the bold choices and risks taken by drummers Jack Blake (current) and Maxwell Roque (former), with notable influences of punk and grunge and hints of hardcore and thrash. Each track on Pelican Bay is taken to the next level by unexpected licks (like the tight 16th note accents on “BEE SWIMMING POOL”) and breakdowns that keep the energy at 10 throughout the album. 

This is exemplified best on my favorite tracks, “NOT SO GREAT 2025” and “CRAZY MONKEY.” On “NOT SO GREAT 2025,” the album pivots in a punk direction. Jack lays down a distinctively SoCal punk drumming style with incredible chops and style. Lyrically, the song comforts our existential generation. As we face “a world that’s fucked beyond return,” all that’s left to do is “get high in my bed.” Relatable. 

“CRAZY MONKEY,” perhaps the album’s most experimental and creative track, explores a grunge angle with a heavy intro and chugging riffs. Guitarist Xander Vasquez treats us to a chord progression seemingly straight off Nirvana’s Bleach, that breaks out uncontrollably into a thrash before finishing with an undeniable groove. Bassist Dan Pastor rounds out the song with a thunderous tone (fitting, as he plays a gorgeous Thunderbird bass live), and Damian shows off his effortless belt and solid growl throughout the eclectic track. 

Pelican Bay crashes to a close with “MINUTES LEFT,” which takes a page from the book of early 2000s MTV TRL-era pop punk. A catchy chord progression paired with snappy drums and sarcastic vocals are key ingredients for the perfect pop punk recipe. With this final track, Zombieloaf’s range is extended once more, giving us yet another genre they can put their own spin on. 

After years of writing and gigging around Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, the band has found a new home in the Pomona punk scene. Pelican Bay was made possible in the halls of Cal Poly Pomona in its music department studio, under the mentorship of Professor Evran Göknar. The self-produced nature of the album is a testament to the spirit of DIY music and the true passion and grit that went into its creation - a perfect example of the ethos that continually inspires this very magazine.

An example of Zombieloaf performing then-unreleased songs off Pelican Bay at their very best - shot by @blursdream

Stream Pelican Bay on Spotify and keep up with the band on Instagram @loafcollective !