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. Since I listen to more than just those two genres, I also 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.
With how much I feel like we’ve lived this year, the reality is that 2025 is only half over. I find myself feeling like each day has been a week long, with no end in sight. We might be living in a world reminiscent of the one in The Slackers single, “Crazy,” but at least we have a great soundtrack to listen to as we cope with these trying times. Here are the tunes that kept me relatively sane in June.
Ska
Bargain Bin Heroes – “Crazy”
Almost 20 years ago, CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse gave us the genius that was Gnarls Barkley. Now, ska punk band Bargain Bin Heroes gives us their rendition of the duo’s first single, “Crazy.” We get ska punk choruses, a laid-back and soulful reggae/ska groove, and some Luis Fonsi for good measure. A very fun interpretation of a classic.
Fishbone – Stockholm Syndrome
Now, more than ever, the world needs a new Fishbone album. With Stockholm Syndrome, the iconic band return with an absolute vengeance to put on a clinic of an album. It’s like a greatest hits of sorts, because it showcases the best of what this group has to offer. That makes it perfect for long-term fans and a great introduction for newer fans.
While Fishbone is lumped into the ska genre, that label really does them a disservice because they’re way more than that. This new album features ska, punk, reggae, rock, metal, funk, disco, and more. The record showcases a reenergized band with a chip on their shoulder and the swaggering confidence to prove how good they are.
Skaldik – New Fever
From Santiago, Chile, Skaldik delivers high-energy ska filled with danceable melodies, anthemic choruses, and lots of fun. On New Fever, they experiment with multiple sub-genres of ska. From synth ska and polka ska to more traditional 2 Tone, the band covers a lot of ground here. It’s a very fun listen, even though I couldn’t understand any of the lyrics.
Skanky Combo – Locked up in Love
I’ve discovered so many amazing French ska bands these past few years, and Skanky Combo is no exception. From Nantes, Skanky Combo perfectly give us beautiful songs infused with trad ska, rocksteady, and reggae. Each tune will get you off your feet and ready to dance. If you’re a fan of bands like The Slackers, Westbound Train, The Prizefighters, and Hepcat, then Skanky Combo will fit in perfectly with your tastes. There are fun tracks like “American Girl” and “Choop Choop,” but also songs with a slower tempo like “Unexpected Encounter.” I’m really happy to have discovered Skanky Combo this month.
The Bakesys – Stepping With The Yobs!
The Bakesys have been busy this year. After already releasing a full-length album earlier in 2025, they’re back with another. This time, they traded their mostly 2-Tone sentiments for reggae and dub. If you’re a fan of such sounds, then this album is a no-brainer. I’m partial to the more political songs on the album like “Fight Back.’
The Prizefighters – “Live Forever”
Ahead of the Minnesota band’s upcoming West Coast trip, The Prizefighters release a cover of the Oasis hit, “Live Forever.” With their trad Jamaican reggae and rocksteady rendition, The Prizefighters did the impossible: They made me enjoy an Oasis song.
Punk
Goldstate (featuring Jaret Reddick and Thomas Nicholas) – “Nothing to Lose”
Goldstate’s latest pop punk anthem, “Nothing To Lose,” was inspired by a night out on the town that went completely sideways. Drinks were had and emotions were (over) shared, which culminated in discussing a bad breakup while a stranger in a cowboy hat sang Evanescence at a karaoke bar at two in the morning. Joining the band are Bowling For Soup’s Jaret Reddick and musician-actor Thomas Nicholas. The result is an energetic pop-punk song with catchy melodies, infectious hooks, and relatable lyrics for anyone who’s gone a little too far and needed to pick themselves back up.
Half Dizzy – “Turn This Up”
Recorded at Little Eden by the legendary Pete Steinkopf of Bouncing Souls fame, Half Dizzy brings forth a punk rock anthem that belongs on every summer playlist this year. With lyrics like “Life’s too short and time moves fast / Yea the future’s calling so don’t look back,” the single is a great reminder for everyone to not get so wrapped up in what’s next, and to appreciate and live more in the now instead. “Turn This Up” sings to the young and the young at heart. It’s permission to live the life that makes you the happiest and feel the most complete.
Mercy Music/Danger Days – S/T Split
This 7-inch split from Double Helix Records offers up powerful tracks from two amazing punk bands. Up first is Mercy Music from Las Vegas. Their offering, “Big Fucking Mess,” has as much heart as it has slick production. Produced by one of the best in the business, Bill Stevenson, “Big Fucking Mess” is high-octane punk rock with very personal lyrics. The other band on the split is Danger Days, an international super group of sorts, featuring members of Millencolin, The Rabble, Movin in Stereo, and Flirting With Disaster. Their track is the left hook to Mercy Music’s right cross. What an amazing 1-2 combination.
Oh See Demons – More Than Meets The Eye
More Than Meets The Eye is essential listening if you grew up listening to ’90s skate punk and playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Oh See Demons is highly melodic with pounding drums, driving bass lines, and chunky guitar hooks. There’s lots of emotion in these lyrics, and I can see More Than Meets The Eye being in my regular rotation this year. This Norwegian punk band joins Krang, Millencolin, and Skeetch in showing the rest of the world how amazing European punk can be.
Skyway – Time To Be Alive
Skyway is what happens when you pour Smoking Popes, The Menzingers, New Found Glory, and Saves the Day into a bowl and mix them all up. Ut;s the perfect pop-punk pancake, filled with catchy hooks and melodies, emotional lyrics, and tremendous energy. In a world that’s gone crazy, hearing a band like Skyway provides a certain level of comfort. Time To Be Alive is a warm hug when you’re feeling lonely and scared. It’s a permission to persevere, and I’m ready for it.
Other Junk
DURRY – This Movie Sucks
I’m late to the DURRY train, but I’m glad I finally got on board. This might be one of my favorite discoveries of the year. Born out of the early days of the pandemic, DURRY is a brother and sister duo that formed after the brother and his wife moved back in with his parents. They wrote a song that went viral and found themselves in an actual band. It shows my age in certain ways that I’m just now hearing This Movie Sucks without any knowledge of the virality. That’s perfectly fine with me. I came to the album with zero preconceptions, and that fresh perspective made it more enjoyable for me.
This Movie Sucks is an honest, earnest, and raw slice of life of a band that has found success and are on the next phase of their career. It shows the joys of life and the hardships and challenges that inevitably pop up. You hear a variety of music styles throughout, including power-pop, alt rock, synth, garage rock, and pop-punk. The lyrically wordplay is equally impressive – mixing earnest feelings with cynicism, sarcasm, and humor. It’s easy to enjoy the songs at face value, but you really can appreciate them with closer listening. It’s a relatable album for those of us confused and overwhelmed with life these days.
Frame and Mantle – Well of Light
Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, Frame and Mantle infuse emo sensibilities with intricate guitar melodies and post-core. Well of Light is an emotional album that offers up the same feelings I get from listening to pre-Bleed American Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab For Cutie, At The Drive In, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Lyrics like “I shut the world out. I can’t get hurt if I don’t let you in” from “Green Grove Zone” could be about a relationship or life in general. While I normally like heavier music, I found myself drawn to the songs with a mellow college rock tempo, as “Silent Film” and “Failsafe” are standouts.
Lammping – Never Never
Lammping is a Toronto-based indie hip-hop production crew. Never Never is the first in a planned series of EPs, and on this one, the group teams up with Montreal’s Bloodshot Bill. For the uninitiated, Bloodshot Bill is a rockabilly artist that earns comparisons to the likes of Roy Orbison. Layering in Lammping’s production with Bloodshot Bill’s vocals immediately reminded me of the Junkie XL remix of Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation.” If the rest of this series is as strong as Never Never, fans of hip-hop instrumentals are in for a treat.
Murder By Death – Egg & Dart
After 25 years as a band, the Indiana-based alt-country folk band Murder By Death has called it a day as a full-time band. Going out in style though with an extensive farewell tour and one final album, Egg & Dart is a perfect cap to an amazing 25-year run. It’s an appropriate wake filled with sadness, weirdness, macabre melancholy, and love. As a fan of the band, I initially didn’t want to listen to it Egg & Dart. Listening to it also comes with the acceptance that this is the end. If I didn’t listen to it, then Murder By Death was going to go on forever. When I finally did listen to it, my opinion shifted. I realized that the band will go on forever, thanks to this album and the ones that preceded it.
As a standalone album, Egg & Dart is hauntingly beautiful. When you pair it with the entire Murder By Death catalog, it reveals a knowing exclamation point at the end of the band’s storied career. Each song highlights every single band member’s extensive talent. It’s also a complete album. Sure, there are singles, but it’s best enjoyed when you listen to it from start to finish, preferably loudly and with a box of tissues. While I’m sad Murder By Death is ending, they’re exiting stage left at the top of their game. Not many bands get that privilege.
Tech N9ne – 5816 Forest
Tech N9ne is a legend and icon within the independent hip-hop world. Most new rap doesn’t inspire me, so it’s always good when someone like Tech puts out a new album. 5816 Forest is special: An autobiography of Tech N9ne going back to the beginning. My favorite hip-hop albums are ones that tell stories and offer wisdom, and this one offers that in spades. It takes the listener on a journey of the artist’s formative years that transformed him from Aaron Dontez Yates to Tech N9ne. One of the coolest things about the way this album is structured are the interludes and skits that help frame each phase of Tech’s life.
Another unique trait about 5816 Forest is the lack of features. Tech usually has great features on his songs, but this time the features are few and far between. The major feature this time around is with Lil Wayne on “Yoda,” a song that sees Tech take Yoda’s vocal cadence and use that for his verses. The rest of the album is basically feature-free and highlights his aggressive machine gun flow. If you ever doubted Tech N9ne’s talent, 5816 Forest will silence those thoughts immediately. It’s a masterpiece.
The Messenger Birds – GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ALBUM IT’S ALL A BLUR
I know my bias is showing, but I think the Metro Detroit area is home to some of the most diverse and creative artists in the country. The Messenger Birds are no exception. The Detroit duo blend heavy synth, grandiose guitars, fuzzy riffs, and extremely thought-provoking lyrics. It’s alt rock in the vein of Radiohead and Queens of the Stone Age. Every song on GRAMMY is commentary on modern life, and the observations The Messenger Birds are making are important.
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! You can also reach out to me on Instagram, BlueSky, TikTok, and Facebook.