Welcome to “Ska, Punk, and Other Junk!” With this monthly column, I’ll highlight all of the cool things I discovered in the ska and punk scenes each month. And, because I listen to more than just those two genres, I highlight some other junk I discovered along the way too! (NOTE: Not actually junk. I just wanted to go with the rhyme). There’s so much cool music out there these days. This is my attempt to cover as much of it as possible.
Hopefully, you find your new favorite band – or at least some cool new tunes to enjoy.
Summer is officially in full swing! It’s finally time to drive around with your windows rolled down and the tunes cranked as the wind blows through your hair and you let your hand ride the waves of wind outside the car. I’m sure you have your trusted staples that stay in your road trip rotations, but a new season means new music. I personally guarantee you’ll find at least one new album from this column to blast through your car stereo for the nest few months. W[hat are you waiting for? Let’s get reading.
Ska
Eevie Echoes & The Locations – “Letters U Wrote”
Eevie Echoes continues her ascent to greatness with her first single signed to Ska Punk International. With a full band in tow called The Locations, Eevie sounds complete. A new kind of energy exudes from this track, and I have to believe The Locations are partially responsible for that.
While the song definitely has a danceable energy, given its ska-punk backbone, the subject matter is extremely serious. The track highlights the turmoil of a changing family dynamic after coming out as queer. The first half of the track is a sincere, yet heartbreaking portrayal of the pain coming from family’s refusal to accept you as you are. The tune pulses with serious religious connotations that come to a crescendo when Echoes declares that, while her family claims to do God’s work, an inner devil fuels their hatred.
The rocking song comes to a climax when the band switches from upbeat ska beats to an almost Laura Jane Grace-esque growl. All of the emotions come to a head in that Against Me!-inspired section with a cathartic exclamation that Echoes has finally found herself in the mirror. It’s an important moment because it shows growth and acceptance of self.
Half Past Two – “Heart of Gold”
Since their inception, Half Past Two has modernized the Third Wave Orange County ska sound with some catchier pop hooks. They’re absolutely amazing musicians, and their songs make me feel good when I listen to them. When I heard the band teamed up with Reade Wolcott of We Are the Union for this new track, I was more intrigued than usual.
Growing up in Michigan, I’m excited to hear what Wolcott is doing. As producer and co-writer of this single, her influence is immediately felt on the track, down to the added level of introspection with the lyrics. The song tells the story of someone who doesn’t necessarily have the confidence in themselves and feels like they’ve messed up with others in the past. It talks about the anxiety of trying to be accepted and feeling regret that you constantly say the wrong thing to everyone.
Musically, this is a more mature Half Past Two as well. Sure, the melody is still extremely catchy, and the chorus can be belted out during a live show, but it really feels like the band stepped out of their comfort zone. Lead singer Tara Hahn changed her vocal delivery, and the guitars have harder-edged riffs. It works tremendously, and I can’t wait to hear what they have up their sleeve next.
Joe Gittleman/BAD OPERATION – Wavebreaker #4
When the first few volumes of a split series includes such heavy hitters as Less Than Jake, Mike Park, and Folly, you wonder if it’s possible to top that with the next installment. Well, the answer is recruit Joe Gittleman of the Mighty Mighty BossTones and Avoid One Thing fame. With the sudden breakup of the BossTones last year, this is likely the closest fans will get to the band in the near future. Gittleman’s contributions include two previously released tracks from his recent solo work and a new song called “Carrie O.” If you’re a fan of the BossTones, these tracks share a few similarities to his old band while also feeling unique.
The Bad Time Records side of the split features New Tone pioneers, BAD OPERATION. “What Keeps Us Moving” picks up right where BAD OP’s debut solo album left off. D-Ray’s organ playing is the backbone of this danceable song, and when the organ stops, he picks up the trombone and shows why he’s one of the most versatile musicians in ska today.
“Stay Inside” might just be one of their most political and ambitious songs to date. There has always been an element of political and social intrigue in the band’s music, but this is an urgent call to action. Lead singer Dominic Minix leads the assault by telling you to stay inside if you want to stay safe. However, Bad Operation is outside fighting societal injustices head on, even though they’d rather be dancing.
The track whips up the listener into a frenzy as the first half of the song accelerates at a desperate and frenetic pace. Just as the mood reaches its peak, the band slows it down abruptly to make sure the listener really hears what they’re saying. It’s a great dance song, but it’s an even better issue song.
The Prizefighters – Punch Up
While The Prizefighters are a contemporary band with modern sensibility, they wear their influences on their sleeves. Their sound unapologetically features traditional ska, rocksteady, and reggae, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think they were a band from the Studio One and Trojan Records days. When I heard Firewalk in 2019, I thought it was one of the best ska albums of the year, so it’s a tough act to follow. But The Prizefighters knocked it out of the park.
Punch Up takes everything I loved from Firewalk to the next level. There were several political songs on the band’s previous album, but this time around they aren’t pulling their punches (pun not intended). The album starts with the reggae-forward “Kick the Can,” as the band asks people to take the climate crisis seriously instead of just passing it on the the next generation. This call to action continues on “Think and Pray.” The up-tempo trad ska feel gives you a danceable beat and a message that we need more than hollow thoughts and prayers when confronted with the evils of our society.
The new album also has more reggae than past releases. I love that traditional Jamaican sound, so I’m all for modern bands embracing the roots of ska’s family tree. My personal favorite is “Company Time,” a great dance number that calls out wage inequality between the working class and the big wigs who employ them.
There’s a lot to love on Punch Up, and it might rank just a smidge higher than Firewalk. It’s an absolute gem of an album that I think every ska fan needs to hear.
Title Holder – What Better Time
Title Holder was born from the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has continued to flourish now that things are going back to “normal.” This full-length collects every song the band released during those days and combines them with seven new tracks. It’s one-stop-shopping for fans of the band and a comprehensive introduction to them for the newcomers.
What Better Time has its fair mix of ska, straightforward punk, and punk with horns. It would be easy to group a song like “Hanging by a Thread” with the Goldfingers and Sum-41s of the world, but then the very next song on the album leans into 2-Tone. Frontman Matt Sullivan and crew are extremely talented musicians, and they showcase a diversity of sounds on this debut full-length. They’re the type of band that cross genres and fanbases, which means there’s a little something for everyone here on this album.
I’ve been following this band from the beginning, so the real joy for me here is being able to hear some new music all at once instead of as singles. From a business standpoint though, I completely understand why bands are on the single model these days. However, I’m almost 43, so I prefer to bypass the appetizers and dig right into the main course. What Better Time delivers.
Punk
FRND CRCL – Suburban Dictionary
Sometimes, I just want to put in an album and be taken on a fun ride. When I’m in that mood, I usually gravitate towards ’90s and 2000’s pop-punk – bands like Blink-182, Sum-41, New Found Glory, Mest, and Simple Plan. Now, if I want to add some 2023 pop punk to that stable of fun, I have FRND CRCL’s Suburban Dictionary. It has everything I love about pop-punk and more. Catchy melodies? Check. Anthemic choruses? Yup. Guitar breakdowns? That too. There’s a familiar feeling when listening to FRND CRCL’s album, but it doesn’t feel stale or dated.
What I like the most about Suburban Dictionary is that it isn’t superficial. Sure, it’s bouncy, poppy, catchy, and fun, but there’s more to it though. The songs tell the tale of mental health, social issues, love, and life. As someone who has recently been diagnosed with ADHD, the tracks focusing on struggles with mental health hit differently than they used to.
You don’t need to go deep into the album’s themes if you don’t want to, as it’s extremely fun on a surface level. However, I do encourage you dig a bit deeper, because this pop-punk band has lots of meaningful things to say.
LURK – Natural Causes
While clocking in at a brisk 20 minutes, LURK’s Natural Causes grabs you by the throat from the beginning and doesn’t let go until the last note of “Pedestrian.” This is a fast, distorted, and noisy punk project with machine gun drums and thumping basslines directly in the forefront. Each song has a raw intensity that could easily be compared to bands like The Stooges, Death, and MC5. It’s garage punk for the 21st century, and it rules.
Even though intensity flows through each song, that doesn’t mean it’s just noise for the sake of noise. Brilliantly composition ensures the music remains catchy and hook-driven. It’s a delicate balance to maintain, but LURK does an amazing job. My only real complaint is that Natural Causes is only an EP, but that’s selfish of me. Since there are only six songs here, the project leaves me wanting for more.
Norcos Y Horchata – Aloha Motherfuckers
I’m an absolute sucker for Norcos Y Horchata. They might be only be a trio, but their sound is that of a much larger band, Coming off last year’s Forever Disheveled, this Metro Detroit band has a new three-song EP for our enjoyment. The title track is Sweet meets the Detroit grit of The Stooges. It’s got a catchy drum beat throughout with vocals that are perfect for sing-a-longs in the shower or at a show.
The level of gravel in lead singer Amado Guadarrama’s voice complements the outfit’s distorted garage punk sound. The band’s debut full-length was one of my favorite albums last year, and Aloha Motherfuckers will definitely be one of my favorite EP releases when the sun sets on 2023. The highlight for me is “I Gave Up Drinking For Good (Now I’m Drinking For Evil).” It has a more traditional fast thrash punk sound that will definitely open the pit up and have the audience singing along as they knock each other over.
Strike Twelve – Last Band Standing
No Use For a Name will always be my favorite band. Since I’ll never hear anything new from them anymore, I search out all the melodic punk I can. Strike Twelve is the next band to successfully help me get that same feeling when I hear Tony Sly sing to me. Last Band Standing starts off with “Not a Phase,” a love letter to the lasting power of punk rock in one’s life. Strike Twelve also gives me Unwritten Law and Lagwagon vibes, especially on “Smart Phones, Stupid People.”
If you’re a fan of the sound that dominated Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph in the ’90s, then you’ll feel right at home with Last Band Standing. There are a lot of similarities to that sound, but it’s not just a copycat. Strike Twelve uses that aesthetic as a foundation, but then puts their own spin on it.
Another favorite on the album is “Baseball Bat” because it serves as a reminder to me that it isn’t healthy to hold things in until I explode. The band channels their inner Pennywise to let off steam before they explode. The song is fast, melodic, and has a chorus that is catchy as hell. It has all the elements a song needs to stand out on an entire album of memorable tracks.
Other Junk
Superbloom – Life’s a Blur
While Life’s a Blur is my first exposure to Superbloom, I feel like I’ve been listening to them for decades. They bring me back to a time when alternative rock dominated the airwaves and despite all our rage, we were still just rats in a cage. There’s plenty of riffs to go around here. It’s as if Smashing Pumpkins, Silverchair, and Stone Temple Pilots joined together to form a shoegaze supergroup. There are plenty of driving guitars and melodies, but the band also has a really chill element that diversifies its sound even more.
I also picked up some grunge and post-hardcore elements on some of the songs. Yet, while I’m comparing Superbloom to some lesser heard music genres these day, they don’t sound like a tired nostalgia act. There’s an obvious love for ’90s rock here, but the band doesn’t let that handcuff their musical creativity. If you’re looking for something that’s a little different than the other bands that mainstream music is cramming down your face, then give Superbloom a chance. They’re a star on the rise.
If you want me to listen to your ska, punk, or other junk, please feel free to contact me here. You might just see yourself in a future column!