The singles are still coming, and they are getting closer together. Back in January, Seattle’s Mister Blank released a single titled “Happy Hour”. It was their first original release in over five years, after releasing a cover album in 2024. Having previously lived in the Seattle area, I was excited to have new original music from one of its more prolific local live ska bands.
Then in May, Mister Blank released “Panic…at the Costco”. They had been playing the song live for years, so I was familiar with it, but having a studio version was really nice. They added a 2nd track to the release, which was just an extended intro to the song, which added context and made the single feel more substantial, but could be skipped if you just wanted the actual song.
Now, three months later, they have released a third original single, “The Ballad of Jorge the Desert Snail”. While I don’t have any specific information, this is really starting to feel like the buildup to an album release, and that gets me even more excited. Like “Panic… at the Costco”, the latest single comes as two tracks with an extended intro as the first track and then the actual single as a separate track. Also, like the last single, there is a music video, which you should definitely go check out below.
“The Ballad of Jorge the Desert Snail” is a solid ska punk/ska rock track. It begins with a solid drum beat with some guitar adding in mostly texture. The rhythm and melody of the song feel good and add a bit of a Southwestern vibe, but maybe that is just the image in my head due to the lyrics, as they don’t feel out of place.
The horns throughout the song are clean and solid throughout the track, never overwhelming, but always adding texture behind the verses. Then you get to the extended solos and instrumentals portion where they really show off, with a phenomenal sax solo and competing horns that make the whole minute-plus great. However, the horns aren’t even my favorite instrument in the song. The keyboard stays mostly beneath the dominant layers in the track but adds tons of texture throughout, getting some bonus love at the beginning of the instrumental portion. The drums lead in to the song and give the track its dominant vibe, but at the end of the instrumental the drum fill carries the tempo to the next level and builds the tension for the other instruments to release.
On the surface, a song about a desert snail seems like it might be ridiculous when it comes to the lyrics, but it’s actually really solid in this department too. The world feels so big when you’re small, but you must persevere. All around, this is another great song by Mister Blank, and if I am correct about this hinting to an upcoming album, then you should be getting as excited as I am.
Written by Gimp Leg
