Reviewed by Duzzy Clayton
The Barcode Bandits are a band that kind of needs no introduction to the SA music scene. They have been together for over a decade and have become one of Gauteng’s top live bands to ever hit a stage.
The band have just released a new album called Recoded, I almost feel biased in writing this review, because I do know the band on a personal level and I have been such a fan from the beginning, but I also feel I am the best person to write this review, because I do know and understand how the band have come to this album, the high’s and lows of their career, including lineup changes, to sharing the stage with some big acts such as Jack Parow. I have walked this journey with the band and have seen them keep breaking boundaries and better themselves.
Recoded, in my mind, is a tale about where the band is today, what they have learned along the way, and how they are screaming at the world. Here we are, take notice and get ready to be rocked for this next chapter in the band’s career.
The album has some ‘old favorites’ tracks from the band. The reason being is that when the band recorded their first EP, they were very new and wet behind their ears and ready to take on the world, but let’s face it, we all gotta start somewhere and even bands like Blink 182 and Green Day were once new to the scene band, but having said that The Barcode Bandits were ready to get stuck in, get into the studio and recorded their first EP, and for a bands first offering, it was a great offering and even some songs making it to radio on stations around the world including South Africa, USA, UK and Germany to name a few. Not bad for a band just making a start in the industry. Back then, the band was also an acoustic rock grunge band. I have a memory of the band playing at Mammas Shebeen’s Pub in Melville, Ryan Zimbler with this acoustic guitar, while the rest of the band playing along and drummer Marc Barclay even sporting a mini megaphone, making sure his voice was going to be heard behind the kit weather he was given a mic or not, those were fun times and I do miss those days, not just how the band was back then, but also venues like Mamma’s Shebeen when the industry was still thriving and COVID wasn’t even a thing back then.
Now, a few years later, The Barcode Bandits have recorded a new album, said goodbye to a few bassists, and like all musicians, are wondering if this new COVID life is how we are going to be living from now on. Will they ever hit the stage again.
Somewhere between all this happening, the band also found themselves without a bassist, BUT remember when I mentioned the venue Mammas Shebeen, and also the time when The Barcode Bandits would be playing shows all around Johannesburg and Gauteng? Another local band by the name of No Regret would join them in lineups at shows. The two bands became great friends through these shows, hanging out around venues, waiting to support each other’s sets and even going around each other’s houses for a good old South African Braai and going on fishing trips together. It was at this time, at some shows, that The Barcode Bandits would find themselves needing a bassist to fill in and Neil Hamilton from No Regret would often be that man. He became so comfortable with the role that the decision was eventually made to just make Neil an official member of the band. It was kind of a no-brainer; he knows the songs, gets on well with the rest of the band, and completes this trio band once again. And one thing was for sure, he knew how to rock, and wasn’t scared to make the songs his own, also owning the stage with his moves and facial pulls.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where we are today. It was time to get back into the studio, rework some of the songs, have Neil’s groovy bass lines on the songs, and officially start a new chapter of The Barcode Bandits.
Recording Details
The Recoded album by The Barcode Bandits was entirely recorded at Oakfields Productions, the in-house recording studio at Oakfields College Edenvale. The sessions formed part of student assignments for both full-time and part-time Sound Engineering students. These projects required students to conduct full multi-track band recordings as part of their coursework — giving them practical experience in tracking, mixing, and mastering.
All dry recordings from these sessions were collected by Ryan Zimbler, who then took on the full mixing and mastering process to prepare the tracks for official release.
Recoded is a fresh new sound of The Barcode Bandit’s legacy
Let’s get into the review of Recoded.
Bury Me
Starting of the album with a crowd favourite, Bury Me I o think this is the best appropriate way to start things off as the song starts with a crunchy bassline played none other by Neil Hamilton, almost officially cementing and introducing him to the band’s recording career, and whilst a bit of a feedback comes from Ryans’ electric this song is a bit heavier than I remember it but I’m loving it, off to a great start, of course Marc’s drumming is amazing, hard hitting, crunch bass line and heavy guitar all sweetened by Ryan’s voice, I can already hear the majority of the band and we just a few seconds in only.
One thing as I make my way to the next song, the songs still have that Barcode Bandits sound, but something is different, almost like a more grown up version of the band, it is such an amazing thing to witness.
I Don’t Want You To Know
I Don’t Want You To Know has always been one of my favorites, just something about the energy and emotion in Ryan’s voice, especially when they hit the chorus. I do find it interesting to put this song right after the heavy start of Bury Me, but I do think it is perfect to right away showcase this side of the band. Don’t get me wrong, the song still has the great grunge guitar and bass sounds and hard-hitting drums, but this is just a more emotional songline that makes me think we are going on a rollercoaster journey with the band’s two songs in
Heavens
Now this is the lead single the band decided to send to the radio, so apart from hearing this song live over the years, the song is familiar to my ears. I have heard it on radio on such stations as GQ Radio, Old Mix FM and 919 Fm. Heavens is a very catchy tune, starting off with mellow guitar picking, but by the time the drums come in, I find myself bopping to the music. I can see why it sounds familiar from past shows and I also get why the band decided to lead with this song to send to the radio. Easily one of my favourites off the album
Let It Go
Another catchy tune from the band. Love the guitar sound on this song. It seems to have that raw sound I love from the band. This also really features bassist Neil’s backing vocals, which seem to harmonize well with Ryan’s voice, and also the shouting “Go, Go, Go” from Neil is a cool add-on I wasn’t expecting but sounds great. There is also a nice” a thing “I like to call the Go Off section in the song, where the band just let go and rock out during the solo. I think to myself, this song is going to sound live, and also going to allow the crowd to jump around and rock out with the band.
Bandits
We are on Track 5 of the album, and the name of the song is Bandits. Hey, wait, isn’t the band named The Barcode Bandits? I tried to listen to see if I could see any connection between this song and the band name, but I was quickly taken astray. Of the crunch of this song as it hits the chorus, the vocals and the backing vocals are impressive, and I am really impressed by Marc’s catchy drumming as we go back into the verse. Another catchy tune. I am not sure if the band is aware of this and did it on purpose, but there are a lot of catchy parts in their songs that I just know are going to get stuck in the listeners’ heads and this song is one of those songs that the crowd is going to be singing along to at live shows. Ryan also seems so comfortable with vocals on this album and this song showcases little screams and shouts between verses, clearly making people listen.
Rest Of The World.
Track 6 and we half way through this 12 track album and having spoken to the band before about this track namelyRest Of The World, and also when they play it live they do make mention that this song is about Woman and child abuse and the band’s stand against it, which in my mind, any band that is against any kind of abuse gets a stamp of approval from me. Rest Of The World, sees a heavier side again with the band, with the gritty guitar sound turned up 11 it seems, I must say I am liking this side of the band with heavier sounds and riffs and the lyrics are perfect for what the song stands for.
Fake
Track 7, ‘Fake’, is next up, and it is at this point. I have made myself a cup of coffee and welcomed back with a cool finger-picking sound at the start of the song and with Ryan’s vocals sounding great and clear telling a story of being around someone Fake and wanting to get away but being pulled back, as I am getting into the songs and choice of lyrics the rest of the band come in and we off, the song just got a lot heavier and its such a cool jam session between the band, there is even a point in the song when the band is rocking out and drummer Marc is doing mini solos in the rock out session and knowing Marc and the band personally I can honestly say this is some of the best drumming I have heard Marc do, and it really accommodates song nicely, making me rocking out with the band as I type this review.
Nightmares
Track 8, and we moved on to the song called “Nightmares’ and I can honestly say this is one of my favourite songs. I have heard the band play live. Ryan just seems to let go and go crazy with his voice on this in the chorus and to witness Ryan doing this live is amazing to see. I remember a while back when I saw this song performed live for the first time. I actually whatsapped the band’s whatsapp group while the song was playing, and they were on the stage just to tell them I loved this song and Ryan’s emotion in his voice. I am so glad they included the track on the album, and it just brings back all these feelings of why this band is such a cool band to see live. I do notice some slight changes to the song, like an echo here and there on the vocals, but overall this still remains one of my favourite songs the band have released. Neil and Marc fit in so well with Ryan’s clear emotions in the song, definitely top 3 favourite of the album for me so far.
Please
Track 9 and I feel we’ve been put on a whirlwind rollercoaster of a ride with this album, but I do have a sense of pride and poorness of the band at seeing how far they have come. The next song is called ‘Please’. I am going to be honest with you. I remember this song from past recordings and live shows, but it is only recently that I listened to it on this album. I have actually taken notice of the lyrics, and I must say it kind of makes me emotional listening to the words. One thing is, for sure, Ryan is able to do this thing, which has so much emotion in his voice and the rest of the music and sounds kind of take you on that roller coaster ride i spoke of earlier and this is really evident in this song. It has also become a favourite of the album.
I do think this song has potential to become a big hit.
Let Me Breath
Track 10,” Let Me Breath”, is the next song off the album and I feel this song starts off fun with the guitar and bass feeding off each other nicely. This is also one of the maybe angriest songs off the album with a few F bombs here and there, but you can’t have a cool rock album with at least one naughty cuss words in the song hehe, Over all, this is a really cool song and I can see this is a type of song that is a must in a live performance and will get the band and crowd rocking out together and bouncing sweet adrenaline back and forth in energy.
Shut Your Mouth
Track 11, Shut Your Mouth. I feel this song is one of the most famous songs by the band, especially when played live. I know during the course of the song, there is a breakdown and the band get a bit of audience participation and get the crowd to chant the lyrics of “You Don’t Know When To Shut Your Mouth” and I feel that the live feeling and the crowd joining is actually incorporated into the song which sounds amazing, This song has already done very well for the band, but I feel this version is also going to be abig hit espeically among the live cercuit.
Red
Track 12, Finally, the last song of the album is called Red, and the band have actually released it as a second single off the album to radio stations after “Heavens”. This is also one of my faves off the album, once again showcasing the emotion in the song and Ryan’s Voice. There is a part of the song where Ryan just screams” Hey, Hey RED sort of half off the mic before the band goes into a rock out session. Just that emotion in itself always gets me every time and puts a lump in my throat. It is such an amazing song and a great way to end the album, a bit mellow but still manages to have its heavy rock out moments and I also think this song is going to do well off the album.
Recoded is a great album for both old and new fans. Old fans will appreciate the journey the band has been on to be where they are today, they will appreciate the reworked tracks, and new fans are joining in at a great time for the band, as they take on the next chapter of their band.
To end, I would like to say well done to the band. I am excited about the next chapter. Recoded is an album that showcases the band what you will experience live should you go see one of their shows, so my advice is to learn the words and get ready to rock out with the band at the next show.
Ryan Zimbler says:
Recoded is a love letter to our journey as a band. Every track on the album is a reimagining of older songs — completely rerecorded to reflect how they’ve grown and evolved over the past 13 years. These aren’t just updated versions; they represent who we are as musicians today, and how our sound has matured over time.
We’re incredibly proud of this collection and excited about what comes next. New material is already in the works, and our plan is to release singles regularly. This album marks both a reflection on where we’ve come from and a step forward into an exciting new chapter. We can’t wait to share more with our fans.
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