This is The Pandemics’ first full-length album in about a decade. Over that time, the band has seen several changes to their lineup and has weathered a full-blown pandemic. Being in a band is a lot of time and work, and for the majority of bands, it can cost a lot more money than you’ll ever make. Sometimes, the music takes a back seat for a while, as other life priorities take precedence. Still, the art and the passion never leave – always begging to come back. It’s a love, a passion to bring your art to the world. And once you’ve created a song, you keep tweeting it, adding or taking something out. For The Pandemics, it also meant that sometimes life doesn’t always align for everyone at the same time. Some members came and went between albums- each adding their own bits of their soul into the songs that ultimately were born into this album- the culmination of the last 10 years of art from The Pandemics.
The sound is a casual, reggae-influenced ska. It’s a smooth, still, danceable ska, and there are definitely a few punk influences, but the reggae influences are undeniable. The sound feels very East Coast ska, like the Slackers, the Pietasters, or the Mighty Mighty Bosstones might be some of their biggest influences, and being out of New York City, it seems very likely that these bands form the backbone of their musical tastes.
The album begins with the most punk rhythm on the entire album in “Why Can’t You Get Excited” before dropping into a more traditional ska rhythm for the verses, terrific baseline, and some vocal rhythms that remind me of Joe Gittleman. It’s a solid intro track, hoping to use music to bring people together to sing and dance and escape from the stresses of life for just a little bit.
“Reject, Reset, Repeat” is a catchy song about rejecting commercialism and learning to reject your desire to associate products and goods with your needs and desires. It’s such a fun and catchy little song, and probably the simplest and most straightforward song on the album. Just a smooth, straightforward rhythm that makes it easy to listen to.
Musically, my favourite song on the album is “Skip the Bullshit”, which is the most reggae track on the album. Still, it’s also one of the tracks that has a dub version at the end of the album, titled “Dub the Bullshit” (Agent Jay mix), which I happen to enjoy even more than the original. The reggae and dub on the album really help it stand out and differentiate the album from other East Coast ska bands. Aside from this cover, there are two different dubs of “Why Can’t You Get Excited”, both mixed by Matt Wixson. I enjoy both of these dubs, and they contribute to the diversity of sounds across the album.
The most shocking song on the album for me is the cover of Holiday in Cambodia. Aside from “Why Can’t you get Excited”, there isn’t a lot of punk on the album, so this song as a choice of songs to cover really feels like an unexpected choice. Still, they pulled it off really well, and it’s a great cover.
The final song I want to discuss is “Bodega Cat”. This is just a 4-minute instrumental track, mostly ska with reggae, and a lot of jam session-type stuff. Honestly, it holds the album together really well and highlights many of the album’s elements while never getting carried away. Definitely a solid vibe and one of the better instrumental tracks I’ve heard in a while. I would definitely check out the album.
Written by Gimp Leg
