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Masterminded by psyched-mod ex-The Studio 68! scenester Paul Moody, The Z’s entirely feasible CV tells us that they’re already an intergalactic sensation, the biggest band on Betelgeuse and, ahem, from the future. 2517, to be precise. Clearly, since the catastrophic Info Crash of 2350, pop music’s been/will be in a terrible state, but thankfully The Z are/will be here to save our souls with lashings of groove-aliciously analogue psych-pop majesty. Other key points you’ll probably benefit from processing are that People Of The Mirror World is a sci-fi space opera and The Z’s phenomenal Joolz-via-Slick-’n’-Sioux vocalist Zoot is a practising Italian High Priestess. (Yes, it seems there’s also an Italy on Alpha Orionus. Who knew?) Aside from the ‘facts’, The Z’s debut could be just the record you’ve been waiting for. It’s a 60s-based vision of the future, rendered irresistible by almost imperceptible contemporary pop tropes; a tripped-out, head-on collision of freak-beat, gutter-glam, IOP, acid, Jefferson Airplane, Blues Pills and the house band from the best mondo-bizarro sexploitation party scene you’ve never seen. Highly recommended.

Classic Rock’s Reviews Editor for the last 20 years, Ian stapled his first fanzine in 1977. Since misspending his youth by way of ‘research’ his work has also appeared in such publications as Metal Hammer, Prog, NME, Uncut, Kerrang!, VOX, The Face, The Guardian, Total Guitar, Guitarist, Electronic Sound, Record Collector and across the internet. Permanently buried under mountains of recorded media, ears ringing from a lifetime of gigs, he enjoys nothing more than recreationally throttling a guitar and following a baptism of punk fire has played in bands for 45 years, releasing recordings via Esoteric Antenna and Cleopatra Records.