Skankshoot – Boom (EP)
It’s not Saturday morning for a change, and I don’t have a coffee in hand either. There’s only my PC, my stereo system, and the debut EP of the Hamburg-based "PolitReggaeHardcoreskaPunk" band Skanshot. And I’m determined to give my judgment on these tonal outpourings.
And since one is just happy about anything that brings good vibes in this weather, I’m already looking forward to what might await me before the first note.
“Reclaim the Street,” the first song of this EP, starts exactly as one would expect. Fine offbeat, well-measured brass, a brutal punk rock guitar in the chorus, and plenty of sing-alongs for the upcoming dance season. It immediately spreads good cheer and sets the bar quite high.
With “Rat Race,” it initially gets a bit reggae-heavy, which sounds quite pleasant, but I must unfortunately raise a criticism here: the brass arrangements stand out too much for my personal taste, and the rest of the band, who are certainly skilled, fade too far into the background. Especially the guitars, which come across as very bluesy at times, are not prominent enough for me. And I simply miss a change in tempo. This brings the good mood down a notch.
But it continues. With “Alaska Ska,” where the title is again programmatic. Here, too, it’s all about shaking your legs and basking in the sun. Still, I miss the freshness of the opener “Reclaim the Street.” As mentioned, a very high bar was set with that one.
Now we listen to the last piece. Here we go again with “Riot, riot, riot.” Ska punk as it should always sound. This fulfills my wishes again. The grit, the punk rock, the loud guitars... Just this mix of traditional ska and modern loud punk rock.
To reach bands like Alpha Boy School or Ska P, there’s still a lack of ideas and originality. But it’s at least 50% listenable, and 100% danceable.
It’s good, but not mind-blowing.
In this sense... Go dance!!!!
Download link: Skankshoot - Boom
