Atlas & Oracle is on a mission to experiment and expand ska to the limits of the definition. Constantly questioning why they would play something that’s been done before- why fit in a nice package when you can be something new?
Atlas & Oracle was pretty quiet in 2024 and 2025, but in 2023, they put out three separate 7-song albums- each with a different theme. The first 7 songs were original songs that all had sad themes, but happy endings, a tribute to optimism. Each of these 7 songs featured collaborations with different artists, because happy endings need community. The second EP was synth ska- 7 synthesizer-fueled ska cover songs- reimagining classics in brand new ways. Finally, they ended the year with 7 original ska punk songs, and then they went into relative hiding. Well, not hiding- they’ve been active with playing live shows at times and very present on social media, but no new music…
That all changed in the middle of December 2025 with The First Cyborg Ska Band- a 6-song EP that made its way to Bandcamp a few weeks later, on January 2nd. The newest album is catchy synth-pop-infused ska adjacency. There are plenty of times where the album doesn’t feel like ska, and that is very intentional. It’s often catchy and fun, and easy to sing along with, but that doesn’t mean it’s not poignant. The entire purpose seems to be to make you expand your point of view, to be uncomfortable, and to pay attention.
The first song on the album is “Energy,” and the first half of the song is very drum-forward. The guitars are mixed fairly quietly, so the rhythm of the drums feels much more significant, and the vocals are clean and clear – “If I could find that energy that I once had before,” then I would spread my message far and wide. As the song progresses, the horns become more prominent through the middle of the song, changing the texture. As the song continues towards the end, it begins to feel a lot more digital. The desire to spread the message gets bigger and more grandiose. The voice is synthed, digitized, and autotuned like in hyperpop. It’s not too distorted, but enough that the point becomes clear. If I could find the energy, I’d make the world listen. The horns section is layered, aggressive, and a little chaotic.
The second song is my clear favorite from the EP. I’m Alive! It begs for people to stand for something. The beginning of the song describes turmoil in the world, and the first verse ends with the line “read between the lines, and you’re a villain,” which seems to suggest that the government- the media- they want you to listen to official narratives. They want you to just listen and accept the world as they present it- followed by the repeated line “wanna die, wanna die, wanna die”. Up until this point, the song featured a single repeated note on the guitar, with no additional music. Then the drums kick in, “I’d never be caught dead in the middle,” horns chime in, signifying hope. This verse is followed by the repeated phrase “me oh my”! The tempo kicks up, the vocals get bolder, “I’d rather fight for rights, on the margins”… the horns are louder, more excited… the chorus switches again “we’re on fire, we’re on fire, we’re on fire”. Finally, the next chorus, “I’m alive, I’m Alive, I’m alive!” And this time it repeats the chorus, over and over! The bridge that follows isn’t fast or aggressive; it’s hopeful. The song starts dark and bleak, but grows throughout. It’s a rallying cry.
“Right and Wrong” starts much darker in tone. The bass really shines early in the track. The drum rhythm, again, seems to be a driving force, but the horns rise in a much lower tone, mixed with long, low guitar chords, and it feels almost foreboding at the start of the song. Before it picks up again. The vocals are faster paced than most songs, and the gang vocals, chanting right and wrong through the chorus, pull the audience to join in. The song is another standout song, but there’s a lot going on at a fast pace during the heart of the song, so the only part that really stands out vocally is the “right and wrong”.
As the album goes on, the synth and chaos progress. Tomorrow has an amazing singles song chorus, and distortion and feedback are added throughout the track to add tension and a feeling of unease. These are added through the 5th song, “21st Century Romans” as well. After the first vs ends, the feedback and distortion are stripped out, and there is a sense of ease and comfort for the first time in several minutes, and it’s almost disorienting. It doesn’t take long before the feedback and distortion are filled back in. It feels like the calm was added just to make sure the distortion kept you feeling uneasy. They didn’t want you to get too accustomed to the noise that you were able to shut it out.
The album ends with “finale” – a song that features lyrics from the previous songs’ choruses, but the distortion is maximized, and it feels like you are listening through a blown out speaker at max volume. The final line of the album mirrors the first line of the album “I think I found the energy that I had once before”…
The final song may only be a minute long, but it sends a message. They found their energy. They spread their message far and wide. I have a feeling that Atlas and Oracle aren’t done spreading their message. After 3 albums in 2023, and a two-year hiatus, it feels like 2026 is going to be another big year. If you’d like to follow along, you can find them on their website In addition to finding their music, you can read their zine, and discover more ways that this band is unlike most others- outside of just their desire to make music that pushes boundaries- like the fact that A&O wears masks on stage and they use pseudonyms instead of their actual names on album credits, in order to remain anonymous- or perhaps, because they are the First Cyborg Ska Band.
Written by Gimp Leg
