Today, the AU review is proud to exclusively premiere “Pocketful”, the brand new single from DUB ZOO, ahead of its official release on Friday, January 30. A vibrant and uplifting cut, the track sees the collective lean fully into hip-hop and reggae fusion—doing so with heart, history, and heavyweight collaborators along for the ride.
Serving as a bold preview of what’s to come from their upcoming EP, “Pocketful” finds the Sunshine Coast-based outfit tapping into the music that shaped them, drawing direct lineage from the politically charged urgency of Public Enemy and Run-D.M.C., through to the soulful, socially conscious grooves of Arrested Development — the latter of whom feature directly on the track.
“Pocketful is our first, but definitely not last foray into hip hop/reggae fusion,” the band explain. “We grew up on the music of Public Enemy and Run DMC and of course Arrested Development and we’ve often brought rap MCs in to feature in our live shows, so it was quite surreal — and a lot of fun — to hang out with the AD crew and collaborate on this track!”
Where their previous album Strange Times was forged in the uncertainty and darkness of the pandemic, “Pocketful” represents a conscious pivot towards optimism, warmth, and shared humanity.
“Our last album ‘Strange Times’ was written and produced during the pandemic and reflected more of the darker and uncertain times we were going through then,” the band continue. “So this EP was a chance to project more positivity and have some fun. ‘Pocketful’ is all about following your heart and sharing the love. One line from the song kinda sums it up — ‘St man the world is fked up, gotta give love where there isn’t enough’. There’s a lot of chaos and negativity happening in the world right now, but we all have the power to push back with love and positivity.”
That message is amplified through one of DUB ZOO’s defining strengths: collaboration. The forthcoming EP features five vocalists, with “Pocketful” standing out as a particularly organic collaboration.
“One of the DUB ZOO Collective’s superpowers has been to bring in epic guest artists,” they say. “We met the guys from Arrested Development at a music festival and started hanging out — their drummer Will even sat in on a gig with us. At that point ‘Pocketful’ was basically finished, but it was missing that last verse. We played the track for them and 1Love wrote his lyrics pretty much on the spot. That night, before the AD crew flew back to the US, we hit the studio and recorded his verse — and the rest is history. Look out for more collabs coming in the future…”
Driven by buoyant rhythms, gorgeous vocals, sun-soaked grooves and a message that feels especially vital right now, “Pocketful” is a reminder of music’s power to connect, uplift, and resist despair — one shared moment at a time.
“Pocketful” is officially out Friday, January 30, but you can hear it first right here on the AU review.
You can keep up to date with DUB ZOO via Instagram and Spotify
