This may be the longest band name and EP title in recent memory, but I think the name of it sets up the expectations for what you are going to hear better than any other combination I can imagine. The album is fun, full of movie references, and is, in fact, ska. What else could you ask for from this band and EP? Also, I want to mention that the band is from Melbourne, Australia, and, alongside The Kittyhawks, are the only two Australian ska bands I am aware of, but both bands put out great new music this year, so maybe I need to look more into the Australian ska scene.
The album starts off with “International Dad of Mystery” a fast-paced song track about being the bastard son of 007, and is chock full of humorous movie references about the deadbeat spy who snagged mom. This song has parts that feel like 80s new wave and instrumental bridges that borrow from Bond theme songs. You are in for a hell of a treat with this song and the fun is just beginning.
“The Other Shoe Drops” is an infectious track about class unity and addressing corruption with a global civil war, and features nonstop fast-paced ska riffs and some fun jazzy horn riffs with a solid instrumental section. The horns almost remind me of swing revival, as the pace picks up in the back half of the song but maintains its fun dance-y rhythms. I feel like this song calls for an organized mosh pit full of people skanking that break into swing dance and back.
The third track is “If you think this song is about you, you’re probably right”, about the hopeful end of a relationship. The profanity-laden fuck off and the farewell song has lyrics reminiscent of Reel Big Fish’s “I Wrote This Song About You” while the music has some serious Latin American and South Western music vibes to it, and the vocals don’t dwell on the profanity so it doesn’t feel as kitschy.
The final original song on the album is the most appropriate, a song inspired by Admiral Ackbar’s famous line, “It’s A Trap!”. The song starts off innocuous enough, but, alas, It’s A Trap! The guitapitchck up, the horns blare once, and WHAM, a fucking shredded guitar solo, then the guitars and drums pick up and everything blades together for a speed-blasted verse and purse musical mayhem ensues. Bodies are undoubtedly destroyed when this song breaks off at live shows, and the only thing saving any of us is the fact that the whole song is only a little over 90 seconds.
We barely have time to recover from the beautiful ska chaos that is a trap before we welcome what is probably yet another gemstone on this album, the final track, and a cover song. What song could possibly fit this beautiful and somewhat chaotic and fun album? Devo, of course. Girl U Want is just the perfect chaotic energy, fun syncopation, familiar, and danceable track to finish this album. Zero mistakes. This album has everything for the person who wants something fresh, modern, and fun, but also connects all the right nostalgia without feeling like any bit of the album is outdated or forced.
Is this ska? This is Admiral Ackbar’s Dishonourable Discharge. What else is there to say?
Written by Gimp Leg
