The Zaxons make the kind of record that reminds you how much life gets lost when rock music is cleaned up too much. Videopticons is built from post-punk, garage rock, goth, and new wave, but its real strength comes from the sound of three musicians playing with each other instead of around a grid. The songs have movement, tension, and a raw physical quality that gives the album its pulse.
The Vancouver trio does not approach post-punk as costume or nostalgia. There are clear reference points in the darker side of British guitar music, and the band could sit comfortably on a festival bill with Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Sisters of Mercy, and The Cure. Still, Videopticons works because The Zaxons sound committed to their own strange little corner of that world. The basslines are clipped and insistent, the guitars are wiry, and the synths add a nervous glow without overtaking the songs.
“Keswick Cutouts” opens the album with the right kind of immediacy. The rhythm section drives everything forward while the guitar cuts around the edges. Nothing sounds overly polished, but the band is tight where it matters. That balance continues through the title track, which brings a darker mood and one of the album’s strongest grooves. The vocals sit inside the mix instead of floating above it, which gives the song a shadowy quality that suits the material.
“Mumpsimus” shows another side of the band. As an instrumental, it lets the rhythm section and guitar work carry the personality, and it proves The Zaxons do not need a big chorus to hold attention. “Bidston” is one of the strongest songs here, with a restless structure and melodic turns that keep the track from settling into a predictable pattern. “Adrian Knows” and “Kingsgate Spiral” continue that momentum, pushing the album into slightly brighter territory while keeping the same uneasy edge.
By the time “Rhys Replica” and “Television Play” arrive, Videopticons has established its identity clearly. This is not pristine studio rock. It has scuffed corners, buried vocals, and moments that sound like they were captured in the room before anyone had a chance to sand them down. That is a major part of the appeal. The album breathes in a way a lot of modern rock records do not.
Videopticons succeeds because The Zaxons understand atmosphere, but they also understand rhythm and songcraft. The record has enough goth mood to satisfy darker tastes, enough garage energy to keep it physical, and enough post-punk discipline to hold everything together. It is rough, focused, and full of character.