Tag: Ska

  • In Case You Missed It Vol. 2

    In Case You Missed It Vol. 2

    October has been a pretty wild month for releases. There have been several great albums that we have covered here on the blog and even more no doubt that have slipped past my gaze. There have also been an incredible amount of singles that were released this month. In this volume of, In Case You Missed It, I am going to spot light some of those releases that I really enjoyed. 

    Temperance” by Mega Infinity; released October 7, 2025: Mega Infinity is a four piece ska band from New York City. They lean to the harder side of the genre and this song puts that on display. It’s the first single released in the run up to their newest album, releasing sometime winter of next year. The song uses the moon as a metaphor for personal empowerment. Michi’s vocals are powerful and maybe even a little angry. Especially as they scream, ‘I am the tide’. Something wholly appropriate for this kind of hype song. The guitar solo that sits almost directly in the middle of the song goes hard, and brings the hype up to an insane degree. Temperance hasn’t been this hard since the 1920’s. 

    Heart Attack” by Cold Wrecks; released October 10, 2025: Cold Wrecks is from Brooklyn, New York, delivers a surprising up beat song about the struggles of dealing with anxiety and crisis. It is refreshing when artists engage with these kinds of topics in a way that can be uplifting rather than in a gloomy manner. While gloomy is valid, upbeat is good as well.  I have been a fan of Cold Wrecks for quite a while. If you have been following me since back when this blog was a ‘radio’ show streamed on twitch, you know I played them frequently. This is the second single they released this year. I hope this is a sign of a new album hitting the internet at some point in the near future.

    Daydream” by Underneath The Lookout; October 14, 2025: Underneath The Lookout consists of the duo Suzy and Craig and hailing from the UK. They produce a unique blend of reggae dub and ska. Their newest single came out mid-October and clearly demonstrates that reggae and ska do indeed belong together with dub. This song has a lot going on in a way that makes it a wonderful cornucopia of sound. It’s got horns, melodica, some (I assume) synthesized ‘ska’ organ, and bass. And let me tell you, that bass is so good. It’s got a low rumble about it and beat that underpins the whole song. While I definitely think the musical composition is the star of this song, I do think that Suzy’s vocal performance is great as well and the message of the song is very much relevant to today. I too frequently despair about the downfalls of modern life. 

    Time Warp” by Bad Mary; released October 21, 2025: This song made this list for multiple reasons. First of all, is that I have been wanting to write about Bad Mary for a while now. They are a great glam-punk band from Long Island, New York. Then there is the fact that it is Halloween today, so not including this spooky classic from my favorite musical felt wrong to me. It is an incredible rendition of the song. I could barely keep myself from singing along and grooving while listening to it while taking my kid and his friend to school this week. It was hard, but I think i succeeded. 

    Radio Player” by Josaleigh Pollet//Crowd Shy; released October 28, 2025:  SLC musician, Josaleigh Pollet, just released this song and the moment I heard it I knew I had to write about it. The song starts out with the sound of a single beating heart and slowly is accompanied by this creepy, swirling, wispy, ethereal ambient noise. It is the perfect set up for a feeling of seclusion and loneliness. Moments later the synthesizer hits and it is also amazing at crafting the chilling ambiance. Then Josaleigh’s vocals kick in and they are soul-stirring and beautiful. The lyrics are cryptic and make you feel even more isolated and perhaps lost in time. The second half of the song is a reference to the famous scene from the movie poltergeist. It is at this point that you realize what you are experiencing is a haunting and it hits you with a shudder. The question then becomes, is Josaleigh talking to you about the ghost? Are they  talking to the ghost? Are you the ghost? Oh, lord, It is so good. 

    These songs are not by any stretch of the imagination the only good singles that dropped this month but they are a selection that I think you all should check out. I hope that y’all enjoy them as much as I have. 

    If you liked the songs I reviewed here and want to support the artists as well as this blog please consider picking them up digitally via these Amazon affiliate links—>

    Temperance 

    Heart Attack

    Daydream 

    Time Wrap

    Radio Player

  • The Hand You’ve Been Dealt by Joker’s Republic

    The Hand You’ve Been Dealt by Joker’s Republic

    Artist: Joker’s Republic 

    Album: The Hand You’ve Been Dealt

    Release: October 10, 2025; Punkerton Records

    Joker’s Republic hails from northern New Jersey. They have been in the Ska game for many years and have released 3 previous albums. This time, they have teamed up with the legendary Roger from Less Then Jake to produce “The Hand You’ve Been Dealt”. As a dude that has liked LTJ for over 3+ decades now, I can honestly say this move makes total sense to me. Joker’s Republic definitely mines the same vein of Ska Punk that Roger has been excavating since the early 90s. 

    Hands down the best song on this album is “Long Road ahead”. Everything about it is great. From the very first line, “Don’t Despair… just kidding please despair” you know it’s going to be a banger. Seriously, that line is hilarious and really does a great job of easing the listener into what is all things considered, kind of heavy subject matter. It’s about the current state of *motions at everything*. However, despite telling you to despair, that overall message of the song is that we need each other to get through this. I am sure you know me. I am a huge sucker of a solidarity song, so of course this is going to make it high on my list. The thing that really makes the song for me is the vocals, especially at the start of the verse. They are amazing and a little reminiscent LTJ. If I were a betting man, I would wage that perhaps this might be a little bit of Roger at work. On the album in general, the vocals all have a certain Je ne c’est quoi that clearly demonstrates an overall level up. I very much enjoyed them for real.  

    Sonic Intervention” is another really good song on the album. It benefits from the vocal stuff I mentioned earlier. It also happens to be a flavor of song I really enjoy. You see, I find music incredibly meaningful. So it follows that, I also enjoy songs that are about how other people find meaning in music and its power to shape us all. It’s a real bop that everyone should listen to. It’s got a great ska riff and the overall guitar just goes hard.  

    Finally, I think it would be an absolute travesty, if I didn’t talk about “No Safe Harbor”. This is a song met to vocalize expectations for the scene, much in the same ilk as “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”. We need more of these kinds of songs and it is great the Joker’s Republic put one out on this record. I really enjoyed the sing talky bit that starts in the last 50 seconds of the the song as well as the guitar that accompanies it. No safe harbor for bigots in the ska/punk scene. 

    I was down for this release as soon as it was announced. When I found out about Roger’s involvement, it was just like the butter on the movie theater popcorn I was going to get anyways. 2022 “Necessary Evil” was a fantastic album but The Hand You’ve Been Dealt really changes the game on what a peak Joker’s Republic album can be. It’s got crisp ska riffs, stellar vocals, political critique that is just salty enough that you become thirsty for more with a little Roger drizzled on top to make it all come to together. If you are a general ska enjoyer, this album is for you. If you are a fan of Less Than Jake and are on the fence about Joker’s Republic for some reason, I think this is the album that will sell them to you.