Back in January, Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Local Legends released an incredible EP, Condones Violence. I loved everything about the album, and I wrote at the time that the only complaint I could have was that it was only three songs. Apparently, my complaint didn’t fall on deaf ears, as a mere four months later the band released another three-song EP, Plays Nice.
Interestingly, both albums could barely be further apart in sound and style but both still be considered ska-punk. Condones Violence is an aggressive angry collection of songs about social justice that verge on (and cross into) ska-core, with angry vocals screamed and shouted. Plays Nice has a much more pop-oriented ska punk with happy melodies and lyrics, and includes songs about being available for your friends. It could be the soundtrack to ’80s sitcoms or Disney TV.
But just one month after releasing Plays Nice, Local Legends decided that the only thing better than three new ska songs would be three MORE new ska songs, and they released their third three song EP of the year, Now With More F-Bombs. This one feels a little more like standard ska punk, somewhere between the previous two albums. This might best fit into what people think of as third wave ska: A more pure evolution of the sounds of Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish, heavy on the trumpets with big punchy brass.
So before the band surprises me with another EP, let’s get started discussing these two.
Plays Nice begins with “She’s in the Band”, a song about having a crush on a girl in a band. The song feels fairly tongue-in-cheek, told from the perspective of the guy with the crush. I feel like this was a popular song subject for ’90s ska bands, which makes the style even more fitting. While this is a good song, it’s likely my least favorite of the trio on this album, even though it features a helluva dueling horn solo in the bridge. The bass line into the solo grabs my attention every time, and then the horns blow me away.
For much of the early 2000s, a California ska band named Suburban Legends played live at Disneyland, and were a staple. They released an album of Disney cover songs. Local Legends’ “You Can Count on Me” gives me all the same vibes as the Suburban Legends’ cover of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”. To be clear, the song does not sound the same, except both are upbeat, pop and rock influenced ska songs about being a reliable friend (except the Local Legends are there for you when you need a getaway driver.) They absolutely kill it with an extended Southern rock/rockabilly-esque guitar solo.
The end of the EP is “The End with You”, a faster paced track with the most singalong “na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na” I’ve heard. I fucking love singing along with the na-na-nas, but also with the crazy fun sing-song chorus about spending the final days on Earth together.
But like I said, the Local Legends are absolute legends, and couldn’t leave me with just three new songs. So now let’s review their June EP, Now With More F-Bombs.
The first song is “Fuck It (Pass Me a Trumpet)”. Time to start forgetting about your worries and start a ska band. Another banger singalong chorus, now with bonus profanity! Fuck it, pass me a trumpet!
My mother once told me if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all. The second track on this album is “You Guessed It… Frank Stallone”. While I can say plenty of nice things about this song, I’m guessing the Local Legends received that same advice, because this funky little jazzy song about Frank Stallone is completely instrumental.
The final song on this three-track EP is “Burn That Bridge”. It’s crazy how catchy these songs are, but this is the perfect close for the EP, bookending the short album with a song about how stupid it is to start a ska band, as the band sings: “I should have known better than to ever start a motherfucking ska band”. The path through Frank Stallone will change a band. One minute you’re starting a new band, and the next, you’re left regretting that decision. But at least there were plenty of F-bombs on the journey.
All three of the Local Legends’ EPs released this year are available on Bandcamp with name-your-price pricing. It couldn’t hurt to check them out.
Written by Gimp Leg
