In March of 2023 the East Bay California ska-core band Omnigone dropped their first album in 4 years titled “Against The Rest”. I understand that The East Bay ska core scene is a very specific sub niche, but with bands like Op Ivy, Link 80, and now Omnigone being the standard bearers, it’s formed a very specific and identifiable sound, often leaning more heavily into the punk and hardcore aspects of the skacore genre with typically more aggressive vocals, however the danceable ska undertones are almost always present. Horns and keyboards are often a part of this sound but definitely not requisite components.
Today, less than 15 months after their last full length LP, Omnigone has come out swinging with another single and an announcement of their next album to be released on July 26th. Like the singles off their last album, “Quicksand” comes out hard and fast, blasting into existence with a quick, shouted hardcore-punk verse that knocks you on your ass. After the first verse the song drops into a quick skacore danceable riff. The song shifts between these two styles as singer Adam Davis sings about struggling to overcome adversity while it feels like everything is fighting against you, and the more you struggle the more you sink, but being unable to give up the fight.
This song doesn’t feature any horns or keys, but that’s not atypical for Omnigone (or other skacore bands), just fast, aggressive, danceable hardcore punk and a sense of justice and community. This song, paired with last year’s album, leaves little doubt that this album is going to be great.
This third album, “Feral”, is set to release on July 26th on Bad Time Records.
Written by Gimpleg