In 2024, Rhode Island ska band So Many Dangers had their first show together. A year later they released their first three-song EP. Now, in 2026, they are releasing another three songs in the form of Close the Curtains. While they have only released the first single “In The Long Run” to streaming, they timed the July 11th release with a CD release show featuring all three singles they plan to release in 2026, and they are available to purchase on Bandcamp.
So Many Dangers considers themselves skacore, but the music is much more diverse and complex than to call it that. It has its share of hardcore elements and influences, but it has pop, rock, and other influences all filtered through a familiar ska lens that holds everything together. The first single is just shy of five-and-a-half minutes and guides the listener through emotions and genres, and is one of the most intriguing and exciting singles I’ve heard in a long time.
“In The Long Run” begins slow and melodic, a pleasant rhythm that defies traditional ska with beautiful vocals, with curious guitars that seem to spiral in and out, drifting around like eddies in the water as the lyrics feel like distant memories coming to the surface. The tease of horns and the steady march of drums carry us forward, and in a way it feels like it might be an ’80s pop ballad inspired song. It is beautiful, but it is also leading you somewhere; you can sense it, but you don’t know where or why.
As we approach the two-minute mark, something changes. The vocals become stronger, the guitars bare their rock and roll aggression, the drums speed up and the lyrics repeat “In the long run”, before a long held powerful prolonged iteration of that line. The drums accelerate driving the tension, with higher tone guitars piercing through to awaken your senses as those words are held, grabbing you. Crashing into melody on the trombone that soothes and helps to relax even as the vocals shift and take the role of the powerful disruptor.
Finally, the drums drop the melody back down, the guitar switches, and the song resets, not to the beginning, but to a new beginning or a wave of calm, but you can’t put back what was released. The second half of the song feels a little disorienting, like a dream. The vocals are duetted and unsynced. One line begins right before the previous line ends, a thought racing to the next before it has had time to fill its proper space, and it creates a special beauty: “You don’t need anyone, do you need me at all?”
There is an intriguing instrumental bridge that leads to the final breakdown. The trombone, bass, guitars, and drums all work together to deliver a short ska core power rhythm that reminds of a more melodic version of one of my favorite skacore bridges ever. It lacks the rough edge as the musicians all feel like masters of their craft, and it sounds beautifully aggressive as it leads to a repeat of the chorus from earlier. Aggressive guitars and fast-paced drums thunder over the repeated cries of “In the long run”.
At five-and-a-half minutes, I still want this song to go on much longer. I’ve yet to hear the other two songs on this EP, but the CD is available on Bandcamp for $5 and I’m about to order one. You probably should too.
Take a listen to “In The Long Run” below.
Written by Gimp Leg
