Recorded in a single marathon two-day session only a month before it was released (concurrent with the announcement that the band was splitting),
the Zodiac Killers' fourth full-length is the sound of a band quitting at the top of its game. Greg Lowery and Jeremy Tuman co-wrote ten of the 12 tracks, the two ringers being covers of old late-'70s U.K. new wave obscurities, a sterling cover of "Telephone Rings Again" by the Not Sensibles (better known for the minor classic "I'm in Love with Margaret Thatcher") and a slightly clumsier run-through of the Jolt's power poppy 1977 single "You're Cold." The originals are uniformly excellent ramalama, particularly the unapologetically
Rezillos-like opener, "UFO Invasion," the early-
Ramones homage "Psycho Twist," and Ruba Tuesday's gleefully snotty vocal showcases "I Wanna Be a Pornstar" and "Restraining Order." Lowery, who also owns the band's label, Rip Off Records, announced that he was retiring from music after this album, tired of losing money on releases and his inability to keep a stable lineup of
the Zodiac Killers together. So few bands are working this vein of sharp, catchy, poppy punk tunes that it's sad to see the band go, especially since
Radiation Beach is by some distance
the Zodiac Killers' best album. ~ Stewart Mason