Los Angeles – April 27, 2020 – In honor of the recently announced landmark of The Cranberries’ iconic video for “Zombie” (UMe/Island Records) hitting 1 billion views on YouTube, subversive rock band 93PUNX has released a music video and short documentary for their slow-burning incendiary cover of the seminal track. 93PUNX embraced the universality of the message and adapted it slightly to reflect the current strife of race relations within the U.S.
93PUNX “Zombie” video: https://youtu.be/oCGm6eHt1Mo
Documentary on “Zombie”: https://youtu.be/AgY4xDB7Qoo
This new interpretation of “Zombie” takes on extra resonance amidst these times of cultural discord, splicing performance footage of 93PUNX with excerpts from the original Cranberries video and news footage of violence inflicted on people of color including the tragic shootings of unarmed Tamir Rice and Philando Castile by police officers. 93PUNX captures the parallels between this racial prejudice in America with the political violence in the war-torn Northern Ireland of the early ‘90s.
A buzz-worthy band whose moves are rife with anticipation, 93PUNX signed to Roc Nation and released its debut The Autobiography last year which Flaunt describes as blurring “the lines between hip hop and punk rock to deliver inquisitive and politically charged anthems that speak to the frustrations of younger generations.”
Languid with bursts of punk fervor, 93PUNX’s cover of “Zombie” serves as a meditation on violence and racial unrest while paying tribute to the original’s lasting impact. Adds guitarist Dru DeCaro, “We got to educate the young people, that’s how you get people not to hate that which they don’t know. There is richness in knowing about other cultures. There’s a lot of world experience that really can make your life better. So the mission is, how do we speak to the young people and how do we educate them and fill in the blanks so we are led by love and not fear.”
With the one billionth stream of The Cranberries’ original video validating its continued influence through the last two and a half decades, 93PUNX’s version is set to propel its message into the next decade and beyond.
Inspired by the tragic bombing in Warrington, England in 1993 that killed two children and injured dozens more, “Zombie” was written by songwriter and frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan while on tour in London when the bombing happened. Released the following year on September 19, 1994, the single struck a nerve worldwide and topped the charts at #1 in multiple countries including Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Iceland. On heavy rotation on MTV, the band’s sophomore album No Need To Argue sold 17 million copies, quarterbacked by the strength of the single and securing the band’s rightful place as one of the most revered and respected alternative rock bands.
The monumental milestone is symbolic on numerous levels in that the song and its meaning are just as important and resonant today as it was when it was first released. “Zombie” continues to influence and inspire new generations more than 25 years later.