After 7 years together, Mr Scientist went and put out their Self Titled debut album and it’s a great way to kick off the New Year. It’s a fun, ska punk album that’s oftentimes more pop punk than ska, but still full of great ska riffs. The songs are well written and catchy, and I regularly catch myself singing along to almost every song on this album.
The album definitely kicks off with my favorite track – “Pick It Up.” I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this song when I first put on the album- I kinda had expectations of a two-tone track, or a 3rd Wave Ska Punk track that kept throwing around “Pick It Up” as a reference to the rhythm, but that is not what they laid out. Instead, the song is more about building community and collaboration, and there are very few song subjects that speak to me more than this. “When your dreams are on the ground, it’s time to pick them up; when my friends are feeling down, you know I’ll pick them up; when that record’s spinning round, come on and pick it up with me” is a chorus that I’ll sing along with every time. The rock and roll guitar solo that drops into a syncopated rhythm before jumping back into the final chorus is just fun.
One thing that sets this album apart from many other ska bands is the complete lack of horns and keyboard- and even as many parts of the songs don’t feature ska at all, there is no doubt that this is still a ska album. The lack of horns and keys also allows a little more room for the bass guitar to be turned up and feature a little more heavily throughout the album. However, without horns or keys, my one complaint about the album is that some of the songs don’t distinguish themselves well enough. Some of the rhythms and themes repeat, and the album can start to feel a little monotonous at times.
That said, it is still filled with absolutely incredible songs. In the middle of the album, my two favorites are “Alright” and “Get By”. The bassline in “Goodbye” actually reminds me of the bassline in “Social” by 90s pop punk band Squirtgun and featured in Mallrats, and although they aren’t actually that similar, it hypes me up every time I hear this song and the faster guitar rhythm and distortion in the song doesn’t hurt at all.
The album goes off on a hell of a high note as the last four tracks are all stand out tracks. “Old Punks” is a punk track, as you might expect, but it’s definitely catchy and the chorus catches your attention. Then “More to Give” brings the ska back after a brief hiatus, the tempo slows down, and everything feels a little lighter before the chorus comes in with a more rock and roll aggression.
“All Out” is a solid ska track and one of the easiest songs to sing along with the chorus because we’ve all burned twice before, we all know someone who would probably do it more, and we’ve all been all out of fucks to give.
The album ends on a high note but is not quite as powerful as it began. “Life Goes On” is a solid closer. The drums do a lot of the work in setting the tone for the song and keeping it fun and a little funky. The last three songs all feel like they are telling a story about a failing relationship. In “More to Give,” things are bad; the protagonist is angry and feels like there has to be more to life, and they are cursing the world as things fall apart and the relationship comes to an end. In “All Out,” they feel rejected and are not able to move past the breakup they have no fucks left to give, and they are dwelling on the relationship. In this song, they are finally ready to realize that life goes on, and it’s actually a good song to dance to as the protagonist seems ready to celebrate new beginnings. I actually love the end of the album, even as I tend not to like songs that feel like they are about relationships or breakups. It’s just a solid debut album.
Written by Gimp Leg
