Fifty-one years after forming in New Orleans, Zebra have released Zebra V, their fifth studio album and first new studio record since Zebra IV in 2003. The 11-track album came out on November 13, 2026 on Flatiron Recordings, and it features the same trio that has been there since 1975 – primary composer Randy Jackson on guitar and vocals, Felix Hanemann on bass, keyboards and vocals, and Guy Gelso on drums and vocals. Zebra bill themselves as the longest-running American rock band still touring with all of its original members. Zebra V features a sonic experience drenched with plenty of nostalgia as a single listen leaves no doubt that this is the very power trio that graced our turntables in the mid 1980s. The songs themselves, however, lead the listener on an unexpected trajectory through rock n’ roll avenues of differing genres.
Zebra built their reputation in the 1970s as a hard-rocking cover band in the New Orleans bar and club scene before taking a chance on the Long Island club circuit, splitting time between the New York Tri-State area and southern Louisiana and playing as many as 250 shows a year. Airplay of their demos on WBAB-FM in New York and WRNO-FM in New Orleans, especially “Who’s Behind the Door?,” led to a deal with Atlantic Records in late 1982. Their self-titled 1983 debut, produced by Jack Douglas, went gold and spent eight months on the Billboard chart, peaking at No. 29. Douglas also produced the follow-up, No Tellin’ Lies (1984), and the band followed that with 3.V (1986) and the self-produced Zebra IV (2003).
The new album brought Douglas back into the fold some four decades later. Jackson says the band’s new manager, Dave Rothstein, pushed them to start the record in 2023 and suggested calling Douglas, who signed on right away. Douglas produced five of the album’s songs, which were finished and mixed, and he planned to do more before he died in May 2026 at age 80. Jackson has said he had no idea Douglas was sick.
 Zebra V by Zebra |
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| Released: November 13, 2026 Produced by: Jack Douglas & Zebra |
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| Track Listing | Group Musicians |
| Dog Day Night The Conqueror Worm All Your Love Walk With You Love, Sex I’ll Be There Beside You She’s Waiting For You Direction Louisiana Way The Last Time Eulalie |
Randy Jackson Guitars, Lead Vocals Felix Hanemann Bass, Keyboards, Vocals Guy Gelso Drums, Vocals
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The album opens with “Dog Day Night”, a straight-up blistering rocker where Jackson delivers strained vocals over the repeating three-chord main riff. “The Conqueror Worm” is one of two songs on the record that take their titles from Edgar Allan Poe and it is delivered with a shimmering and surreal 12-string acoustic, taking us back to some of the more interesting album cuts from the group’s heyday. “All Your Love”, on the other hand, doesn’t contain much of that Zebra spice as it settles into a traditional hair-band trope, albeit on the higher end with excellent drumming by Gelso.
Lead single “Walk With You” follows as another venture into pop/rock. The tune was written by Jackson and KISS front man Paul Stanley during a two-hour session way back in 1991 and shelved until now. Jackson says Stanley told him the demo just needed to be updated and to “sound bigger,” so the band changed the arrangement slightly and Douglas, who produced the track, added keyboards. “Love, Sex” changes direction a bit, starting with a solo lead before settling into a catchy groove. “I’ll Be There Beside You” was co-written with Skid Row’s Dave Sabo and Rachel Bolan. This traditional power ballad is dominated by Hanemann’s synth phrases and Jackson’s emotional vocal delivery.
The second half of Zebra V is really the payoff, starting with the already-classic “She’s Waiting For You”, a tune which dates back to the late 1980s and was previously released on the group’s 1990 Live album. In any case, this thirty-something year old rocker highlights the group at their hyper-peak while simultaneously delivering a catchy and melodic song. “Direction” has also been part of Zebra’s live set for years while making its studio recording debut. It starts with over 20 seconds of solo drumming by Gelso before the whole group launches into the initial verse and it only gets better from there. “Louisiana Way” introduces a completely different sonic component through its hypnotizing rhythm and slide guitars, while the penultimate and lengthiest track, “The Last Time”, features one of Zebra’s best jams before settling into a very entertaining rock track. The album closes with “Eulalie”, a true folk ballad which offers a calming wind down of this album
Jackson has said there are leftover tracks from the Zebra V sessions, many with overdubs already done, so another Zebra album is possible down the road (and let’s hope it takes less than 23 years this time). The album is out now on CD, digital and streaming. Two limited-edition vinyl versions, a black-and-white zebra-striped edition and a 50th Anniversary gold edition, arrive December 4, along with a limited-edition cassette. Zebra are touring in support of the album, with dates running into April 2027.
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