The Zutons – The Big Decider: Album Review

By Kevin Stanley on 26th April 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Dare we suggest a rebirth for The Zutons? Read on…

Release Date: 26th April 2024

Label: Icepop

Format: CD / LP / digital

This is the re-birth of The Zutons – it’s a second chance for lead singer Dave McCabe and the rest of the band. And they’re grabbing this opportunity with both hands. The new album was the first test and they’ve passed that with apparent ease. The songs are well written and the music is both classic Zutons and fresh at the same time.

From album opener Creeping On The Dancefloor to the closing track Best Of Me, this is The Zutons as we know and love them. Actually, it’s The Zutons with the added maturity that comes with age and a little more life experience.

McCabe has experienced troubles with alcohol and substance abuse, but he’s clean now and given this second chance, coupled with his newly becoming a father, I don’t think we will see McCabe in trouble in the future. The Zutons have created and crafted an album that sounds like classic Zutons – which isn’t a simple thing to do after 15 years away from the recording studio.

They’ve been on the comeback trail for a few years now. Having performed to packed out venues in 2019 when they played their debut album to devoted fans delighted to see them back on stage. I saw them at Rock City on Nottingham on that mini tour. Despite obvious nerves from no doubt the entire band, but notably from McCabe, they performed flawlessly after such a long time away from the circuit. And it was evident that McCabe was wondering where the wasted years away from the fans had gone. It was obvious back then that he had the desire to reform the band and get back into the studio and subsequently back on the road to perform live. 2023 saw them perform a few times including a memorable set at the Tramlines Festival in Sheffield where despite the torrential rain on the day they were back to their best.

The band members pursued other projects whilst away from the Zutons, but personal losses, love, lockdown and the realisation that they are much stronger together brought the band back to their Liverpool roots. In fact during the pandemic McCabe, Harding and Payne found themselves living together with access to a home studio which actually sped up the process of creating new material. Creeping On The Dancefloor opens the album and it feels like the obvious hit single. It sounds like classic Zutons instantly. It’s a simple pop-rock love song with the Zutons twist. Water is a slickly produced funky track in which McCabe and Harding sing in harmony really well.

The Big Decider is a high-tempo guitar driven track that is likely to be the second single and another sure-fire hit. It features a beautiful segment of Harding singing. And speaking of Abi, her sax really stands out on several tracks such as Creeping On The Dancefloor, Disappear and Company. Forget guitar solos, Harding is the Queen of sax solos and she’s asserted her place in The Zutons by getting all the lead solos! Her sax really gives The Zutons an edge and extra dimension that other bands simply don’t have.

The album was recorded over five weeks at Abbey Road with Nile Rodgers. His input was important to several tracks but notably on Disappear which features a saxophone interlude that makes fantastic use of Harding’s abilities. The song concludes with a snippet of spoken word which Rodgers obligingly voiced in which The Zutons are travelling through stars and galaxies to presumably ask, God, the most powerful question in the universe: Why?

The Big Decider is a triumphant comeback for The Zutons. I’ll leave you to make your own minds up, but I’ve made my decision – The Zutons are as fresh musically and lyrically as ever and can still put on a top live show. It’s great to have them back.

Here’s the title track: