Florida Rockers Less Than Jake, have brought their colourful, happy, upbeat, upstroke Punk ska sounds into 2024 with the release of their new EP “UNCHARTED”.
Their 7 song banger, coming in at just 22mins worth of horny upstrokes and positivity has been released today on Pure Noise Records.
The band began to release singles from the EP in June , starting off with the track “Broken Words” which fans saying “It really felt so much like an old Less Than Jake Party”.
If I am honest, this ain’t a party I would be much inclined to attend. And I can’t help but think of a Disney Channel teenage high school movie when listening.
The closest I could get to enjoying the SKA Genre would be The Specials.
Raised by a man who was brought up during the revival of SKA after reggie kicked it out of the musical bed. Bands like The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite, Madness, The Specials, The Selector and Reggie legends such as Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals and Sister Nancy gave me enough to dive into, that I never felt the need to experiment with my ears over on the State Side of Ska Punk.
Whilst my friends were off listening to Rancid, I was still diving into the Reggie backcat and seeing what Damien Marley was up to. I am all for genres being combined and bending the norm in how the ear picks up on sounds, heck, this is how it always should be and hopefully will be, but there is just something about the Ska Punk genre that just never grabbed me.
Less than Jake are clearly extremely talented musicians, and on first listen of their new EP its very evident that they have mastered their skills. Fast paced strikes, punk punching drumming and a very enthusiastic horn section (which any one will have a bop to). I’d almost want to ask for more horns on all tracks because (for me) this is the main attraction.
Every time my ear pricks up with the sound of a horn section, I can’t help but to fall back into my mind to the first time I heard “A Message to you Rudy”. An Iconic sound that most people all over the world know straight away when they hear it.
Songs like “Night Boat to Cairo” With it’s Sax and Horn and up-stroking guitars by Madness. And jaysus, we can’t go without mentioning “One Step Beyond” and its in your face opening, right out the box!
Less Than Jake are working with those Caribbean origins of the genre and using a treasure map on their art work to tie their recent single releases together. The “Broken Words” art revealed the first piece of a treasure map, alluding to more being revealed as time went on. And of course, today we got the full EP dropped on our lap.
For the Less Than Jake fans, I have no doubt that this 7 piece EP will be bringing smiles and getting you off your couch and dancing whilst singing “I keep my sunny side up, and my dirty side down’, but sadly for me, this aint doing it and I probably won’t pick this EP up again.
I am going to throw down 6 out of 10 stars on this one which for someone who doesn’t care for the genre, is a decent enough score right ? I can tell a well written tune from a shit radio push. And although I don’t plan on any further listening, this EP is an enjoyable piece of work, and with a few drinks in me… just maaaaaybe It could possibly get me dancing lol.
Uncharted Tracklist:
1. Broken Words
2. Walking Pipebomb
3. Not My Problem
4. Brand New Day
5. Sunny Side
6. Dead Days (Over And Over)
7. Shake Loose The Truth
”Uncharted” coming skanking in with a 6 out of 10
Reviewer Carl Foran – @carlforanphotography