Whatever you call this renaissance that ska’s been having–fourth wave, New Tone, some secret third thing–there’s no doubt that 2023 has been one of its biggest years yet. The genre’s current leading US label Bad Time Records took most of their roster around the country on a massive tour that’s gonna become a concert film/documentary, and just from watching the trailer, you can really tell that this music is clearly having a moment right now. There were also a lot of good ska and ska-punk records released this year, and I’ve picked 10 to highlight. If you’re into straight-up, ’90s-style ska-punk, you’ll find that here, and if you’re into far-out genre experiments, you’ll find that here too. Some of these bands are veterans, and others are very new. It’s admittedly US-centric, but there’s some UK representation on there as well. And 10 is a small number, so if your favorite didn’t make the list, leave it in the comments.
We’ve also got some ska vinyl in the BV shop.
Omnigone – Against The Rest
Bad Time Records
Against The Rest is one of the best straight-up punk albums of the year, and it’s also one of the best ska albums of the year–in fact, it’s maybe the best ska album of the year. From the band’s fast-paced energy to Adam Davis’ gritty, snotty hooks, this is everything you’ve ever wanted from West Coast punk, ska, and melodic hardcore. It would’ve felt perfectly at home on Lookout! in the late ’80s, and it sounds totally refreshing today. As a ska-punk veteran since his days with Link 80 in the ’90s, it’s obvious from Against The Rest that Adam only has his sights set on the future.
Flying Raccoon Suit – Moonflower
Bad Time Records
Flying Raccoon Suit’s Bad Time Records debut treks through ska, jazz, punk, klezmer, thrash, metalcore, twinkly emo, reggae, indie rock, and more, usually with at least two or three of these in the same song, and all of it works. It’s a fun, catchy, danceable album that goes down a lot more smoothly than it might sound on paper, and these are meaningful songs that deal with widespread internal struggles in ways that are widely relatable. It’s music that impresses on a technical level and never forgets to connect on an emotional one.
Poindexter – Treats
Ska Punk International
Often, the most exciting music is music that you can’t easily place anywhere, and Poindexter’s debut album Treats is one of those albums. As the band’s record label suggests, Treats falls somewhere under the ska-punk umbrella, but the vibe is way closer to indie-leaning punk bands like Lemuria, Swearin’, and Chumped. The way Jeff Rosenstock toes the line between ska, indie, punk, and whatever else feels like a reference point too, and just like Jeff, Poindexter seem intent on following no one’s path but their own. The songs are tastefully raw, very catchy, and often somber, dealing with topics like addiction and gender dysphoria in ways that inject the album’s fun exterior with the impact of real-life struggles. The record feels humble and human and it’s really refreshing to hear a band get so creative without any amount of pretension the way Poindexter does.
Mustard Plug – Where Did All My Friends Go?
Bad Time Records
Mustard Plug predated the US ska-punk boom of the ’90s, they made some of their best records during it, and they made arguably even better records after it. If you’re a ska or ska-punk fan, this band’s been there for you for over 30 years straight, and they’re still killing it. This year’s Where Did All My Friends Go?–their first album in nine years–often sounds like classic Mustard Plug, but it’s also full of songs that reflect the modern world and fit right in with the current US ska scene. For much more on this great LP, read our lengthy feature from earlier this year.
Pick up our exclusive mustard yellow & black pinwheel vinyl variant of the album.
Faintest Idea – The Road To Sedition
TNSrecords / Jump Start Records
Having formed in 2008, UK band Faintest Idea were one of the bands who helped keep ska-punk alive after the third wave had died down but New Tone hadn’t solidified yet, and they remain one of the best and most unique ska-punk bands of the past 15 years. They hail from the country that birthed both 2 Tone and UK82-style street punk, and both of those things come through in Faintest Idea, a tough, working-class band with a sound that can unite the hardest punks and the ska historians. They’ve got big bright horn lines, nods to early Jamaican ska, and a rough punk exterior, and they’ve also got politically conscious lyrics that tackle war, climate change, economic inequality, and other ever-pressing issues. And they haven’t let the gap between albums slow them down; so much has changed in the world since they released 2016’s Increasing the Minimum Rage, but Faintest Idea sound just as vital on The Road to Sedition as they did back then.
Plastic Presidents – Good Times Can’t Last
Ska Punk International
Omaha ska-punk band Plastic Presidents played their first show in December 2021, quickly ended up on bills with bands like Mad Caddies, Eichlers and Hans Gruber and the Die Hards, and they seem to be winning over everyone who encounters them, myself included. Their debut LP Good Times Can’t Last has eight catchy, rippin’ tracks that really lean on the punk side of ska-punk–think stuff like Assorted Jelly Beans, Link 80, Slapstick, etc–and Plastic Presidents do it in a way that feels really refreshing. They’re tight, full of energy, and fully-formed, especially for a band that’s existed for only like a year and a half. If you like ska-punk and you’re not already on the Plastic Presidents train, hop on now. I suspect this is a band we’re gonna be hearing a lot more of.
PWRUP – Just Devils
Ska Punk International
Ska and hardcore are both time-tested vessels for protest music, so it makes sense that they’d come together the way they have over the years, and newer bands like PWRUP are keeping that fire lit. In the spirit of classic ’90s ska-core bands like Voodoo Glow Skulls (whose saxophonist Eric Fazzini and current vocalist Efrem Schulz both appear on this album) to newer bands like Dissidente and The Best of the Worst (who also both appear on this album), Just Devils is a reminder that loud guitars, aggressive screams, minor keys, rich horn arrangements, danceable upstrokes, and powerful social/political messages go really well together. Just Devils doesn’t revolutionize the form, but it reminds you that this stuff never goes out of style when it’s done this well.
J. Navarro & The Traitors – All Of Us Or None
Bad Time Records
Jason Navarro is a real lifer, and he’s been very busy these past few years. His beloved and influential ska-punk band The Suicide Machines released a comeback album in 2020 and a split with Coquettish last year, and they’ve got tour dates on the horizon too. Meanwhile, he’s also just now released the second-ever album by his band J. Navarro & The Traitors. Compared to The Suicide Machines’ ska-infused punk and hardcore, the Traitors are more of a punky reggae party. All Of Us Or None is primarily fueled by traditional ska, reggae, and rocksteady rhythms, but The Traitors deliver it with the grit of a street punk band–and sometimes there’s some straight-up punk in the mix too. Like The Suicide Machines, The Traitors are a socially and politically conscious band, and you don’t need a lyric sheet to pick up on the fact that All Of Us Or None is a record by a band with contempt for the state of the world. It’s both angry and inspiring, and it’s also a ton of fun to listen to.
Random Hand – Random Hand
Bomber Music
Faintest Idea aren’t the only long-running UK ska-punk band that made a long-awaited return this year. Random Hand celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2023, and they also released their first album in eight years. It’s a killer comeback, with unbridled punk and hardcore energy, addictive horn arrangements, forays into folk punk and reggae, and socially/politically conscious messages. It ranks among the band’s best work, it’s a great addition to their catalog and not a bad place for new listeners to start either.
Joystick – Dwell EP
Bad Time Records
There have been a lot of really cool interpretations of ska and ska-punk this year, but if you’re craving the no-frills, straight-up, extremely catchy style of ska-punk that bands like Less Than Jake and Assorted Jelly Beans delivered in the mid/late ’90s, few bands had you covered this year the way Joystick did. Dwell has just four songs, and it leaves you wanting more, but they rip so hard that you’ll just be playing this thing over and over again. So catchy, so fun.
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Browse the BV shop for ska vinyl, and browse our ska archives for even more ska.
