The Zappe Cats are a rising rock meets post punk trio composed of Luis Irán (vocals/guitar), Lucas Paredes (bass) and Ozzie Perez (drums). The dynamic musicians have just shared their latest EP MISU MISU, a six song rebellious and intoxicating musical journey. Filled with colliding reverb-soaked guitars, invigorating basslines, and sing-out-loud melodies, MISU MISU has catapulted the band to become one to watch. With song names such as "Dog Punk", "Catnip" and "Black Cat", the band have released playful and symbolic songs.
Earmilk chats with The Zappe Cats all about their new music, home country of Venezuela and finding each other in Miami. The result is a fun read for anyone who loves rock music.
How did The Zappe Cats form?
We formed in Miami in 2023, but the three of us, me (Luis) on vocals and guitar, Lucas on bass, and Ozzie on drums, had already been around each other for years in Venezuela’s rock scene. We had all played in different established bands there, crossed paths on stages and tours, and then ended up in Miami at different times, basically starting over. At first we just jammed on some covers for fun, but those sessions turned into new songs and, before we knew it, we had an album recorded. It all happened while we were figuring out our place in the city.
Congrats on your new six-song EP MISU MISU. Can you tell our readers more about the theme of the EP?
Thanks! MISU MISU is playful, a little weird, and built to keep you moving. It explores play with myth, resistance, and that ongoing feline rebellion. The title comes from a way people in parts of Latin America call cats, which felt perfect for the record. It opens with “Black Cat,” a song that mixes with symbols and a bit of mystery, then hits with the Motorhead-like punch of “Miles,” an Oasis-style love song from a cat’s perspective in “Catnip,” the paranoid canine dystopia of “Dogpunk,” and “A Good Time,” which has a crooked, melodic feel that nods to early Queens of the Stone Age and Television. The EP closes with an acoustic mix of “Catnip” that changes the mood completely. It is all rock at the core, but each song has its own personality.
Tell us three words that describe The Zappe Cats.
Let’s say: Unpolished. Strange. Catchy.
You all formed in Miami but are from Venezuela. How do the two places differ in their music scene and how have both places impacted The Zappe Cats if at all?
In Venezuela, when we were active there, the scene was intense and constantly in motion. You could go from playing a sweaty club to opening for an international act in the same year. There was this urgency, like you had to make every show count. In Miami, the scene is more spread out, with a lot of different micro-scenes happening at once. We each arrived here at different times and had to make our own space, basically starting from zero, which pushed us to be resourceful. You can say that Venezuela gave us the grit and Miami gave us the space to reinvent.
What does each member bring to the band and to the music?
I write all the songs, though a lot of them start from a riff Lucas sends me. He is kind of the riff master, and I turn those riffs into full songs. Some bridges and harmonic arrangements are born while we are jamming the new songs in the rehearsal studio. Ozzie brings the weight and the dynamics, all the things a great drummer does, and that is key to how we sound.
Who are some of your musical influences that influenced your journey as a band?
It is a hard one to answer because we all come from different corners. Oscar and I have always shared a love for The Beatles. Lucas leans more toward the Ramones. Because of The Beatles, I tend to drift into Oasis territory, and bands like the Buzzcocks feel close to that too. The Cure and early U2 keep sneaking into my writing, whether I plan it or not. As a group, Queens of the Stone Age is definitely an influence, and Nirvana too. Somewhere in all that is where The Zappe Cats live.
Is there a perfect time and place to listen to MISU MISU? Does the music lend itself to a particular listening experience?
It works best when you are in motion. Driving, walking, biking, whatever keeps you moving forward. But it also holds up late at night with headphones, when you can catch the little details in the layers and arrangements.
You all have performed at such South Florida venues as Gramps, Respectable Street, Kill Your Idol, and Propaganda. Can you tell our readers a fun or wild show story?
At one show I was playing through this old Vox Pacemaker amplifier from 1966. By the third song it just died. So I dropped the guitar and channeled my inner Johnny Lydon, hunchback and all, stomping around and sang like a maniac. I thought it was a disaster, but I told myself it would make a good story someday. After we finished, this young woman came up and said it was incredible. I started apologizing, explaining my amp had died, and she just looked at me and said, “Well, you should not play guitar from now on.”
What is next for The Zappe Cats?
We have shows coming up around Florida. I have also been in this early writing phase, digging through old voice notes from Lucas with riffs and weird noises, turning them into new ideas. Oscar wants to try less conventional rhythms and grooves. Lucas is talking about squeezing in some classic rock and roll structures and locking into fewer chords for that hypnotic, repetitive feel. I have been kidnapped by My Bloody Valentine and deep in a fuzz fever, which has somehow sent me down the shoegaze rabbit hole. When these ideas turn into ready-made songs, they will probably hit the stage before they ever get recorded. We will see where all that collides, and hopefully it will not blow up in our faces.
Connect with The Zappe Cats: INSTAGRAM
