Denver, Colorado ska band Doc Turbo is putting out a second single, and now I’ve learned much more about this stellar band. Doc Turbo has been together in some form since high school, but mostly as friends and as a band they’ve taken a few hiatuses (hiatii?, hiatums?… does hiatus have a plural?).
Regardless of the plural form of hiatus, the band was formerly known as Dr. No, a great band name, minus the fact that there were a handful of other bands that also thought it was a great name, and also used it on streaming platforms, making their music more difficult to find. Throughout the years, members of the band went on to do various things, including some incredibly successful other bands, before coming back together and rebranding as Doc Turbo. And along with this new rebrand is the release of their first new singles.
A couple of weeks ago, they dropped their debut single in “Looking Like A Hot Time”, and now, they’ve released “Criminal”. This song features the same expert professional production and incredibly talented musicianship. This ska track includes a little more reggae influence, but is still mostly ska punk. The song begins with a quieter, almost lo-fi pass of the rhythm before we get two claps and the horns join in for the next pass at full volume.
The song has a nice Goldfinger or Mustard Plug type of vibe to it if either of them were a little more reggae. Crisp horns and fun narrative storytelling with the vocals. This is a song about falling in love in a spin on the storytelling of The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” where the story tells of a series of dates and every night the protagonist feels a little more in love”. However, as the weekend comes and he is ready to profess his love, she confesses her sins instead. The subject of affection is a wanted Criminal.
The second verse mirrors the first with dates to all the same locations, but this time they engage in crimes. It’s a fun, cheeky song that’s catchy, laid back, and flawlessly executed with nice, clever production tricks throughout to add to the experience.
The song is really good, but it’s not just the song that has me hooked. The combination of the two songs, the production, and the clear talent on the instruments. It really feels like this band is on the verge of putting out an incredible album and more, and I think you should definitely hop on the bandwagon early.
Written by Gimp Leg
