“Atmospheric, sophisticated electro-pop… in the vein of New Order and the Killers”
FHM (5 Star review)
“A blend of MTV friendly, dark-tinged, pop-meets-rock”
Cosmo Rocks
“Imagine Foo Fighters mixed with Duran Duran with a touch of New Order”
Sunday Times (4 Star review)
“A sonic feast of electronica-spiked indie rock”
Entertainment Africa
"The band that’s redefining local indie rock”
Obrigado
“Dark stuff, wrapped in sweet melodies”
Cosmopolitan
“Heavily influenced by 80’s electronica and 90’s rock”
Pulse Magazine
The memories have been collected. It's time to put them to use.
Zebra and Giraffe have just released The Inside, their second full-length album. Their 2008 debut Collected Memories garnered local and international acclaim and saw them win a 2009 SAMA Award for Best Rock Album, nominated for three SAMAs in the categories Best Newcomer, Best Album Packaging and MTN Record of the Year for “The Knife”. They also won the MTV MAMA Award for Best Alternative.
But complacency is for bands with less ambition and bloody-minded dedication to their craft. They've used the momentum built up over the last couple of years to propel them into the studio with tunes and enthusiasm to spare. Greg Carlin (vocals + guitar), Alan Shenton (guitar), Andrew Maskell (bass), Darren Leader (drums) and new member Michael Wright (Keyboards) recorded the majority of the album at RBF Studios in Johannesburg and it was produced by the acclaimed Darryl Torr, who also produced Collected Memories. The album was mixed by the renowned Cenzo Townshend who has worked with U2, Snow Patrol, Kaiser Chiefs, Editors, Graham Coxon, Babyshambles and Florence and the Machine.
The mandate for the new record was simple yet challenging: Be better than anyone has any reason to expect. Songwriter, lead-singer, guitarist and frontman Greg Carlin and his bandmates wanted to prove that they could produce an even better album than Collected Memories and explode the expectancy inevitably attached to the follow-up of a successful debut.
The songs that they wrote for The Inside are songs that appealed to them, that they thought were good and challenged the parameters of their sound.
The Inside is a document of the last two years. Relentless touring has solidified Zebra & Giraffe as a band and allowed them to evolve from its roots as Carlin's solo effort. "All of our gigging and hard work has paid off on the music side however, this combined with some of the success lead to many complications in our personal lives. It was a tough 2 years from that angle but it allowed for a lot of new lyrical material! Where CM explored the emotions met with me leaving my childhood home and an exploration of the past 10 years, The Inside deals specifically with the experiences of the last 2 years. It's a very personal album, a lot more so than CM, but it really was a cathartic process writing and recording it."
Zane Henry, September 2010
The Inside
Zebra & Giraffe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They seemed right
But I failed to see the inside
All my questions
They were wise
But they caught me trying to run and hide
All the wanting
And our pride
I watched as it slipped and slowly died
Are you asking
Why I lied
'Cause it turned me on the inside
The inside
The inside
The inside
And I’d be freed tonight
If I just trust the inside
I can’t close my eyes
And don’t be scared to cry
We’re always free to hide
Running from the inside
The inside
We won’t be caught tonight
All my answers
They seemed right
But I failed to see the inside
All my questions
They were wise
But they caught me trying to run and hide
The lyrics in Zebra & Giraffe's song "The Inside" reflect a theme of self-awareness and the struggle to confront one's own internal turmoil. The singer acknowledges their past actions and beliefs, admitting that they may have appeared correct on the surface. However, they now realize that they failed to truly understand the depths of themselves, symbolized by "the inside."
The song delves into the duality of human nature, particularly the conflict between wanting to hide and the desire to be authentic and vulnerable. The singer confesses that their questions held wisdom but also exposed their attempts to escape and avoid facing their inner struggles. The line "Are you asking why I lied, 'cause it turned me on the inside" implies that the thrill of deception once enticed them but eventually caused the gradual decay of their authenticity.
The lyrics also explore the concept of liberation and finding solace by trusting and embracing the inner self. The lines "And I'd be freed tonight if I just trust the inside" suggest that true freedom and clarity can be achieved by accepting and honoring one's internal truth. The song encourages the listener not to fear expressing emotions and to recognize that hiding from oneself only perpetuates the cycle of unease.
Line by Line Meaning
All my answers
The beliefs and solutions I held seemed correct on the surface
They seemed right
They appeared to be accurate and true
But I failed to see the inside
However, I overlooked the true essence or deeper meaning of the situation
All my questions
The doubts and uncertainties I had
They were wise
They were insightful and perceptive
But they caught me trying to run and hide
Yet, they exposed my attempts to escape or avoid facing the truth
From the inside
From the innermost part or core of myself
All the wanting
All the desires and ambitions
And our pride
And our sense of self-importance or superiority
I watched as it slipped and slowly died
I observed how they gradually faded away or lost their significance
Are you asking
Are you inquiring or wondering
Why I lied
Why I was dishonest or deceptive
'Cause it turned me on the inside
Because it affected me deeply within
And I’d be freed tonight
And I would experience liberation or release tonight
If I just trust the inside
If I simply rely on my inner intuition or instincts
I can’t close my eyes
I cannot shut out or ignore what I truly feel or know
And don’t be scared to cry
And do not be afraid to express your emotions openly and vulnerably
We’re always free to hide
We always have the choice to conceal or conceal our true selves
Running from the inside
Avoiding or evading our inner realities or truths
We won’t be caught tonight
We will not be discovered or exposed tonight
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GREGORY CARLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zintle Mvana
9 years later and this song is still on my playlist. Urgh, South African rock needs to gain prominence again🇿🇦
Nhlakanipho Ntombela
2020 and i still appreciate this song very much.
Tshidi Ramabu
you guys sound amazing. i love it best when you guys are live :)
Vincent Hënn
After all these years, nothing has change, all I can still say is just "Wow!"
Zintle Mvana
This still remains my favourite song from you guys. It's the song that made me take note that South Africa has a band called : "Zebra & 'Giraffe"
Leonid Q
this song inspires me so much. i love it.
AGovernment
amazing song mates. greetings from belgium!
Tshotlego Lazarus
Greetings from South Africa!!!!
Aleksandar Bulovic'
A jewel in Johannesburg's crown, this band is so dope!
Aleksandar Pesic
A crown of thorns to be sure but it's not without its beauty. Love this song. A proto new wave emo tribute