Boston has one of the more interesting ska scenes in the US. There are a handful of bands I associate with the area: PWRUP, Atlas and Oracle, The New Limits, Joe Gittleman, Pink Slip, Brunt Of It, and The Pomps. I hadn’t really thought about how diverse that scene is until now. Before last week, I didn’t even realize Threat Level Burgundy was among that bands.
Threat Level Burgundy has put out music since 2011, and has kept getting better over time. They have a fairly smooth ska punk sound that is less punchy on the horns than a lot of ska bands, reminding me more of Blink-182 with less juvenile lyrics or The Menzingers. At times, they even remind me of some early-2000s emo bands, but with a ska rhythm and a horn section. They also remind me of bands like Mustard Plug, one of the munchiest ska bands to ever exist. Regardless of who Threat Level Burgundy reminds me of, the album is good and worth listening to.
The album begins with “Times Before”, which kicks off with a blast of horns. At first it feels at first like the song and the record are going to be very horn heavy. But once the horns pull back and the first verse comes in, the guitars that were previously masked by the horns reveal a really appreciable 90s pop punk vibe that dominates the song. This is perfectly fitting for a song about nostalgia.
While that’s a solid opening track, arguably my favorite song on the album is the second track, “The Darkest Timeline”. It begins with a fast electronic percussive beat, then leads into actual drums. I cannot explain why, but this intro reminds me of Max Headroom — or at least rainbow colored “lasers” and a weird late-’80s futurism — before dropping into a memorable guitar riff. But this song has everything. The lyrics have great verses and an amazing chorus, and while the drums are the most noticeable feature, the guitar riffs are amazing as well.
Lyrically, “The Darkest Timeline” talks about getting older, the failing American dream, struggling to make ends meet as corporations profit off of our data making billions through our labor, crooked cops upholding unjust systems of oppression, algorithms distracting us from a corrupt world, and the chorus laments the fall of our heroes turning into monsters. While that line is vague and doesn’t mention which heroes he is referring to, I’d like to throw out a “Fuck Justin Sane”.
“Recent Problems” is more of a emo-hardcore song. It works well and shows off some of the diversity of the band. They do sound a little too smooth to execute the hardcore portions as much as I’d like, but it makes the emo portions even better. The next song is “Is This What You Want”, and if that is a question, then the answer is definitely yes. The beginning reminds me of Mustard Plug’s “Beer (song)” in such a wonderful way. That is one of my favorite songs from one of my all time favorite bands (who I get to see live later this month!). As the song continues it loses those influences, and at times feels like a less juvenile Blink-182 song.
The album largely stays within the scope of these first four songs, ranging from ’90s ska and pop punk to 2010s emo and hardcore, all viewed through a fairly smooth ska-punk lens with well-crafted rhythms and musicianship and a relatively smooth vocal delivery.
The last three songs I want to mention are pretty distinct. “Pins and Needles” feels like it could be the biggest single from the album and a fan favorite at concerts. It has a great trumpet solo (that may be a bit too short) that’s played over a solid bass line. The song has a terrific and quick ska rhythm throughout the track, and the chorus has solid backing vocals that makes me feel like the song was written to get crowd participation.
“Graveyard Party” is a great pop-punk ska song with outstanding bass and horns, but references about a half dozen zombie movies and TV shows. The horn line in this song almost steals the show, but the zombie references don’t quit, moving throughout the track at an unrelenting pace (like the drums and guitars in the second half of the song). I’m fairly certain if you listen to this song enough times, it’s going to consume your brains and you’ll become a true fan.
The final song I want to mention is mostly a joke. It’s another dated pop culture reference song called “I know what you did last lunch break…” (What do you mean it’s not a dated reference? They made another movie just last year in 2025. Don’t they let these things ever die? Is everything a zombie?) Anyway, the music in this song feels like the music in an early 2000s blockbuster movie, with great guitars over a repeated guitar riff that circles on itself. The song doesn’t take itself seriously, but it feels like it’s both serious and a parody at the same time: Serious enough to want to listen to the song and not feel off putting, but also absurd enough to parody a decades-long blockbuster slasher franchise.
This is a solid ska punk album. It straddles an interesting niche of maturity and not too serious, blends in millennial era pop culture references, and has plenty of songs about nostalgia. But it still feels very current and aware. It’s definitely worth listening to and enjoying.
Take a listen to Oh, Nice below.
Written by Gimp Leg
