Pookout Records, Bad Time Records – 21 Oct 2022
Intensely danceable UK ska punk debut (FFO: ska-punk)
Norwich U.K.’s Roshambo are somewhat of a U.K. ska supergroup, featuring members of The Junk, The JB Conspiracy, Faintest Idea and Ducking Punches. After releasing two singles in 2020 and 2021, the band has released their first full length album at the end of October.
While many supergroups are rarely the sum of their component parts, Roshambo bucks that trend. They play danceable ska punk, utilizing a horn section that knows how to stay out of the way. Similar to easycore bands, Roshambo has the sensibility of heavier genres of music, with breakdowns that don’t sound like metalcore ripoffs.
Roshambo describes this LP as “a unifying call to arms for our scene, and a broken UK.” Underneath the brass and catchy vocals belies frustration at Brexit and the botched handling of a global pandemic, as well as the racism, phobias and classism endemic in British society.
Opening track “Listen Up” leads with overdriven power chords before being joined by the horn section. The verses and choruses are classic 3rd wave ska punk with gang vocals, with heavier bridges that wouldn’t sound out of place with some hardcore records.
In the single “The Crawl”, the horns carve out hummable leads while guitarists Jake and Dan trade off vocals. The unsung hero of this track is the drummer Pete, whose snare drum propels the tone of the song: hard and fierce in the verses and chorus, and restrained and powerful in the bridge and outro.
Another standout track is the horn-driven “One Last March”. In a hectic five minutes, Roshambo is joined by members of the long-running Manchester ska outfit Sonic Boom Six, who have made the trip to the east coast to provide guest vocals. While trading off lead vocals, the band finds its thesis statement for the whole record: “If you’re not pissed off / You’re not paying attention.”
Album “Dead Eyes Black Hearts” throttles along to the album’s thrilling conclusion. The opening riff has a rhythm reminiscent of a lost Motorhead riff before transitioning into a floor punching breakdown. In the verses, Jake and Dan rap over classic ska upstrokes, while the choruses are fist-pumping power chords.
In total, Survive, Revive, Revolt is a rare gem in an increasingly-crowded ska punk scene. The LP incorporates the best of diverse genres, and avoids the Rotten sneer of “no future for you” by plotting a path forward to a better future. The resulting blend is ten outstanding tracks that will get you dancing wherever you are—even if it’s your desk chair.
Once hailing from the salty tundra of Syracuse, NY, Ben now calls the DC suburbs his home. He fell in love with punk after listening to Punk-O-Rama 3, Less Than Jake and MXPX in middle school. He loves to slam dance but is too large to stage dive.
When he’s not pretending to have exquisite musical taste, he’s raising two children, designing RPG products and practicing law. (Who knows if he’ll ever get the hang of it.)
