When it comes to music, this year has been one pleasant surprise after another. Whole there have been a handful of really good albums from bands that I expected to release albums or even surprise albums that I love from bands I know that I didn’t expect to put out a release, the real treat has been the countless albums that I fall in love with from bands I had never heard of before. Voluntary Hazing definitely falls into that last category.
Voluntary Hazing dropped their debut EP in 2020 and put out a few singles over the next few years. Last month, in July 2024, they dropped their debut LP. The 12-piece ska/ pop punk band out of San Jose crushes track after track with a variety of sounds, impressive horns, and catchy lyrics that beg me to sing along. The lead vocals are both beautiful but also beg you to sing along.
Knowing nothing about Voluntary Hazing the first time I hit play on the album, the very first vocal on the album reminded me of the first vocal note in Half Past Two’s “Dominoes”- but that’s about where the similarity ends (other than being outstanding California ska bands fronted by amazing women). Just one note on an entire album, but I hear it every time I listen to the album. The first track is a solid tone-setter. It does everything it should do, it introduces lyrics that are personal, establishing the common themes from the album, drops solid ska guitar riffs, and outstanding clean horns, and establishes solid rock-influenced guitars and solos that show off much of the range that you’ll find through the album. The horns, guitars, and tempo in the latter half of the song really set the standards for what to expect.
“Reciprocate Some” is a little more catchy, and has a lot more attitude, and the punchy horns are perfect for emphasis. This song highlights the kind of clever snappy lyrics that make the album really stand out, from the confidence in the line “I’ll be the first to say rejection knows my name, I’m not looking for pity I can take it like a lady” to the sharp and biting “I’m trying to kill you with kindness but you just won’t die”. It’s vicious and fun and I can’t get enough. The call includes a small call and response which fills out nicely with a 12-member band, but I imagine it goes even better with a live audience.
The third track, “Disappointment” is anything but. It’s a little song-songy and pop-punk and begs the listener to sing along while the horns set the tone. We get a jazzy horn solo and a fun little instrumental portion, but gods this song just begs to be sung along with.
The next 4 songs are all solid, the album doesn’t really have filler, 11 tracks that mix up the tempo, styles, and influences, and almost all have fun witty lyrics. Even the instrumental track “You May Be Entitled to Compensation” feels like an integral part of the album that I want to hear live, but my two favorite tracks on the album run consecutively in the second half of the album.
“Literal Rockstar” is an acoustic track the features an ukelele, and I believe it has a violin and a clarinet. It slows down the pace of the album and continues to demonstrate that they are able to do a lot more than just catchy pop punk and ska songs, and don’t need to rely on wit for their lyrics. It’s just a beautiful song that I almost certainly wouldn’t have taken the time to enjoy if it wasn’t couched in a ska album.
While many bands might have put the slow, emotional, acoustic song at the end of the album to give the whole album a soft closing, Voluntary Hazing placed it towards the middle and followed it with one of the faster songs on the album to pick the pace right back up and remind you of what you were listening to. “Pretty Boys” has a nice, fast pace and, again, features great lyrical quips. One of the most powerful lyrics I can imagine in a song about pretty boys is “my problem isn’t that I don’t know what I want, it’s that I do”. Fucking slay. The song also features my favorite breakdown on the album. What starts as a bit of a funky instrumental breakdown then has some backing vocals come in, and more and more members of the band started coming in with their own scat vocals, and it almost takes on a mahna mahna feel to it, as the instruments and vocals swell together to bridge back to the chorus. This is definitely my favorite track on the album.
“Skemsco” has a cool disco funk ska sound, that I love every time a band tries it. I know Reel Big Fish played with a disco sound with Suburban Rhythm on occasion and it was always a hit with live audiences and on the live album, and when they covered “Nothin Like a Dame”. Suburban Legends played with some disco sounds on “Infectious”, but it seems to be something that bands are afraid to take seriously. Hearing Voluntary Hazing put it together for a track on their debut album makes me ecstatic. I’ve never been into disco, but it sounds so fun that I can’t lose it every time a band actually does it. It’s far from my favorite song on the album, but it’s the one song I absolutely must see them perform live.
Voluntary Hazing absolutely crushed this debut album. They have the ability to write fun catchy songs and the skill to write mathy, technical songs. Every member of the band seems to be able to deliver exactly what is needed to make the song memorable. I’m really impressed with the production because it never feels crowded and nothing feels lost- which is impressive with a 12 piece band. Whatever comes next, I’m here for it, and I won’t be caught off guard next time.
Written by Gimp Leg