The good new ska songs just don't stop coming. The genre continues to thrive -- we just stocked our first ska record in the brand new BrooklynVegan store -- and it already seems to be having a better year in 2021 than the great year it had in 2020. Here are five new ska songs released this week that we recommend checking out...
The Best of the Worst - "Sour Spot"
The Best of the Worst's anticipated new album Better Medicine officially arrives next Friday (2/19) via Bad Time/Choke Artist (but it will premiere in full on the Skatune Network YouTube Channel one day early), and today they've released third single "Sour Spot," which follows the title track (which we named one of the best punk songs of January). TBOTW really embrace the "-core" aspect of ska-core, especially on this song, which goes from upstrokes and horn lines straight into black-metally blast beats. It's the most furious song released from the new album yet, and it rips. Read our interview with the band for more.
If you like what you hear, set a reminder for the album stream:
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Flying Raccoon Suit - "Hive Mind"
We also named Flying Raccoon Suit's previous single ("Driftwood") one of the best punk songs of January, and this week's "Hive Mind" is just as good. Compared to the surfy ska of "Driftwood," this one's an indie-pop-punk ripper. It shows off a totally different side of FRS, and it's just as promising as the last song. Read more in our recent interview with FRS.
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Tape Girl - "Shoveling (Myself Out Of The Snow)"
Tape Girl's bedroom pop-infused ska puts a genuinely new spin on the decades-old genre, and each new single she releases is great. The new "Shoveling (Myself Out Of The Snow)" is no exception. As on previous singles, it sounds like there's a little Bomb the Music Industry! influence, but Tape Girl really makes it her own and reminds you that there's still plenty of room for innovation within this genre.
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Lo(u)ser - "Set It All On Fire"
Just a few days after We Are The Union released their very good new single "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Punk Rock Stars" and its Chris Graue-directed video, WATU aided Chris on his second Lo(u)ser single, "Set It All On Fire." Like on his first single "Growing Up," there's a chiptune/video game influence on the song and video, but this one's more of an upbeat, guitar-oriented, third wave-style ska song, and it's great stuff.
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Skatune Network - Ska Goes Emo, Vol. 2
Okay kind of cheating here because this technically came out last Friday, and it's a 15-song album, but Jeremy Hunter's covers project Skatune Network released a second volume of their Ska Goes Emo series, and it's just as worth hearing as the first. It features genuinely awesome covers of songs by Modern Baseball, Tigers Jaw, Title Fight, TWIABP, PUP, blink-182, Paramore, Panic! at the Disco, Jimmy Eat World, American Football, and more, and it serves as a reminder that ska and emo go really well together, especially in the context of today's DIY punk scene.
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For more ska:
* Ska is thriving right now. Here’s a look at the DIY scene that’s keeping it alive
* The Year In Ska & Ska-Punk: Albums, EPs & Singles not to miss from 2020
Pick up Kill Lincoln's album Can't Complain (one of the best punk albums of 2020) in the BV shop.