A few weeks ago, New Jersey three-piece ska band Joker’s Republic announced that they were releasing a new record, and they dropped the first single off the album with “Panic! Panic! Panic!”. They also announced that this would be their first album on Columbus, Ohio’s Punkerton Records.
A month later, they’ve released a second single- “Break The Cycle”. They’ve also released the name of the album, “The Hand You’ve Been Dealt,” along with a release date of October 10.
Like the first single, “Break The Cycle” heavily deals with issues of self-care, mental health awareness, and personal accountability. While the pace is a little less well panicked, it’s incredibly catchy. It’s just fucking groovy, and to little surprise at all, there are damn sexy guitar solos mixed in throughout the song. One of my favorite parts of having a three-piece band is how clear the bass guitar is and how there is always room for the bass to shine through.
While the middle of the song has a slower bridged verse that changes the tempo and draws attention to the lyrics, most of the track is just a catchy reminder that nothing changes if you don’t put in the work to make it change. But the hook goes on and on and on and on and on in the best way possible. I just want to sing along and on and on and on some more.
These two singles are so damn good, with powerful messages delivered in such catchy tunes with incredible guitars. I may have loved Necessary Evil (their previous album), but the growth to this album is incredible, and I can’t wait for the rest of the album.
Joker’s Republic is currently on tour with Space Monkey Mafia across the northern Midwest, ending at Ska Punk International’s SPI fest in Minneapolis on August 16th and 17th. That is a fest that you should do everything in your power to see, and you’ll get the chance to see Joker’s Republic performing these new singles before the album releases!
Written by Gimp Leg
