In one of the many ways ska is similar to grindcore, it’s very much a “love it or hate it” kind of genre, but nobody secretly listens to grindcore when nobody is watching. We don’t know exactly what it is about ska that people just can’t get past. Maybe it’s the bright colors or the loud shirts. Maybe it’s the puns or the horns. Maybe it’s the fact that your childhood sucked because you weren’t 11 during the Summer of Ska. We’ll never know. But we did compile a list of 10 ska songs that everyone enjoys. Or at least you’ll be able to see the merit in it. You’ll still make fun of it though. That never stops being fun.
“Drunk Again” by Reel Big Fish
Let’s start you off with a song that’s the furthest thing from ska on this list. “Drunk Again” is a departure for RBF and sounds like emo Elton John. It’s a beautifully sad track that showcases the band’s incredible songwriting abilities. Warning: there are horns. There aren’t any upstrokes though. We won’t throw you into the deep end just yet. This one’s for all of you big ballad lovers out there.
“Sunday Morning” by No Doubt
Maybe the ubiquitous social mockery of ska is keeping you from getting into these bands. Well, how about a song by a mainstream-approved artist like Gwen Stefani? This one doesn’t even have horns so you’ll be fine. If you can watch The Voice with no shame, you can hear a guitar play on the offbeats for a few verses. Check this one out if you like pop or radio rock music in general.
“These Scars Won’t Heal Themselves” by I Voted For Kodos
Perhaps it’s ska’s upbeat nature of ska that makes you dismiss it as a credible genre. This emo/ska track from IV4K is something horn-y that’s a real treat for Taking Back Sunday and Senses Fail fans. Screams and trombones, what’s not to love?! Plus, this band was named after a Simpsons reference and Matt Groening mentioned the band in a DVD commentary track so they get some cred for that.
“Beer (Song)” by Mustard Plug
Let’s say you just want to go to a show, get drunk, and mosh to four-chord punk songs you can “woah-oh” along to. Well then Mustard Plug’s closer “Beer” is for you. And if you like that one, check out their “Evildoers Beware” album. It was produced by Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton so, like, come on dude.
“Relocate the Beat” by Big D and the Kids Table
For this one, maybe it’s the name of the band you can’t get past. That’s fair. Ska has a sense of humor about itself. That’s part of the charm. Sometimes, you have to really listen to decipher what’s a joke and what’s for real. “Relocate the Beat” is a masterclass in musicianship and lets their drummer absolutely go off. The album it comes from, “Strictly Rude,” is a great listen for musicians and music nerds alike.
“Would You Be Impressed” by Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto’s genre classification has been debated at length. In the end, they have a sound that’s unique to them and ska is one of the genres that goes into making that sound. “Would You Be Impressed” combines incredible musicianship with tight, catchy songwriting with mosh-inducing speed and intensity. It’s simply a great song. It’s ska, and it’s okay to enjoy it.
“Look What Happened” by Less Than Jake (Borders & Boundaries version)
Less Than Jake experienced an incredible amount of mainstream success with their non-ska album, so we’re recommending the original version of their single “Look What Happened” from the “Borders & Boundaries” album. It’s a catchy alternative rock song with incredibly heartfelt vocals, and lyrics that pump you up for the big moment going into the final chorus.
“Someday I Suppose” by Mighty Mighty Bosstones
We’ve officially entered pure, uncut ska territory. At this point, you should have the proper context to hear a ska song and listen to it for what it is, as opposed to the cheesestick-eating, rollerblading monster the people who make memes would have you believe. So when you hear this song… you get it, right? Like, you get why this song is great. You HAVE to get it. You don’t have to get why they paid a guy to just dance though. And so what if Adam Carolla uses it as his show’s theme song, we all forgot about that guy years ago.
“Sound System” by Operation Ivy
Okay, this is it. This is our last ditch effort. If you don’t get why people like ska after listening to this song then we can’t help you. We can only hope to prevent whatever disease you have from spreading.
“Ska Sucks” by Propagandhi
If you made it through this entire playlist and you still think ska music is cringe-fueled nonsense noise, then we STILL have a ska recommendation for you. This is the most conventionally-written third-wave ska-punk song on the entire list and it’s about exactly what you’re feeling right now. Ska rules. Fuck you.
Sophomore albums are always difficult to pull off. Joyce Manor could’ve been the exception to that rule had our fact-checkers not reminded us that “Never Hungover Again” was actually their third album. We didn’t forget about this one entirely — it’s just hard to remember that this is a canonical Joyce Manor album and not just a 13-minute compilation of promising demos. For what it’s worth, there are some great tracks here. They just don’t feel like they’re part of anything bigger than themselves. Even Napalm Death songs make better use of their brief runtimes.
Now this is a great compilation of promising demos. Featuring rough drafts of fan favorites like “Constant Nothing” and “Leather Jacket” alongside fast-paced punk tracks that would have felt out of place on a proper studio album, it’s an insightful look into the band’s early years. Every track radiates charmingly chaotic energy, from frenetic acoustic opener “House Warning Party” to the freshly remastered “Constant Nothing” EP songs that close this out. Most importantly, it reminds fans that Joyce Manor formed in Torrance, California, so you can gently correct anyone who calls them midwest emo.
This is still a good album — a fun album, even — but something holds it back from being a great Joyce Manor album. Maybe it’s the missed opportunity of naming the title track after a Travis Barker quote, knowing damn well your band needs a drummer, and nevertheless getting somebody else for the job. Or maybe the band held back on punkier tracks due to their stance against stage diving. Whatever the deal is, it’s decent enough to replay with a drink or two.
Clocking in at 24 minutes, this is Joyce Manor’s most bloated release to date. Who do these guys think they are? Sleep? It’s technically even longer considering how many times you have to pause tracks when your friends can’t hear the gentle production over your pathetic cries. Luckily, saccharine-sweet melodies and gentle acoustic performances justify every second of this album’s length. Just don’t expect the mellower sound to distract you from your own existential dread.
Opening your first album in four years with two covers is a risky move, but it pays off here thanks to Joyce Manor’s renditions of O.M.D. classic “Souvenir” and obscure Joyce Manor single “NBTSA.” The original material is just as exciting thanks to the anthemic choruses and rapid pacing reminiscent of the band’s first three records. Each track makes the most of its brief runtime with euphoric production and joyful energy. Joyce Manor is back and they still haven’t made a bad song.
This is Joyce Manor’s greatest hits album. It’s not a compilation, but almost all of their most essential songs are here. Play the CD in your car for a friend and they’ll become a fan within 20 minutes. If you’re lucky enough to get stuck in traffic, move on to the other albums and roll the windows down. Or just play this for the whole ride and pretend you’re in a coming-of-age indie film. Either way, you can never go wrong with “Falling In Love Again” or “Catalina Fight Song,” even if you scream the wrong lyrics.
The band’s self-titled debut is an emo masterpiece. It would’ve been a solid legacy on its own had they pulled an Operation Ivy and dipped after one album, but we’re lucky enough to live in a society where Joyce Manor continues blessing everyone with new music every few years — good music, even! That being said, Barry Johnson’s raw vocals and heartwrenching narratives still make this album a cut above the rest. A good debut feels like the beginning of something great. Joyce Manor skipped straight to legendary territory.
It’s ok to like this album, but if this is anywhere near your favorite Strokes record you are officially required to burn that Urban Outfitters band tee you’re wearing and attend an actual show. Past Strokes albums have been defined by the band’s consistency and signature thinned-out sound, but this time around an array of diverse production techniques and synths has buried the band’s real charm in much less thoughtful noise than listeners are used to. The record starts out as a spiritual successor to 2011’s “Angles,” with its bouncy synths and experimental elements, but ultimately delivers a less enjoyable experience. Like a third cup of tea made with the same leaves, this one will leave you feeling unfulfilled.
Fresh off a lengthy hiatus, “Angles” sought to introduce a fresh new take on the band’s iconic sound by immediately going back in time 30 years. “Angles” sees the Strokes coming out of their hibernation sounding a lot like Minus The Bear for some reason and admittedly it works, at times… Despite a strong start, “Angles” quickly loses the plot as it descends into full ‘80s synth nostalgia where speculation of drum machine usage from their early days became reality. Fans and the band alike don’t seem to care for this one too much, seeing how it’s been largely absent for tour setlists.
Picking up where their debut left off, “Room on Fire” has some definite heat, with iconic songs like “Reptilia,” but to be honest a lot of this record could have been “Is This It” B-sides. “Room on Fire” is still beloved, and for good reason, but like an old friend that shows up to a party empty-handed, it’s predictably good company with a few shortcomings. Some people will call this album 1B to their debut’s 1A, but those people are stuck in the past and they know it.
Despite their longest break in releases to date, the band ultimately made the smart decision not to hang it up after “Comedown Machine,” henceforth referred to as “Letdown Machine.” In fact, “The New Abnormal” is the comeback album “Angles” wishes it was–giving the band’s second chapter something sturdy to stand on. But, like “Star Wars” before it, the second trilogy will never live up to the original. The band teamed up with legendary producer, the famously homeless-looking Rick Ruben, to capture an extremely well-put-together album that is equal parts nostalgic and modern with some fun self-referential moments to boot. We love this record because it essentially puts the prior two through rigorous distillation to produce one of their most palatable releases to date. Despite coming out in the darkest months of a pandemic, this record is a summer-y, beach-rock Strokes record if the band could ever have one. There are some melodies that border on annoying and childish, but overall this is a fun one that old-school and new-era Strokes fans can easily appreciate.
Dialing back the compression a little and driving up the tempos and distortion, this record takes what The Strokes do well and pours a 16oz coffee right down its throat. Tracks like “You Only Live Once” bring their classic sound in its highest form before yoloing (sorry) into some of their heaviest tracks ever recorded. “First Impressions of Earth” led to many discoveries including the popularity of the Arctic Monkeys, Julian Casabalanca’s solo career, and the band’s first Billboard Hot 100 hit with “Juicebox.” But despite the record’s notable energy boost, the center cuts actually drag a bit. The aptly titled “15 Minutes” sort of feels like it, and at nearly an hour in length, the album’s runtime is double that of the band’s other releases. Fortunately this is the only real criticism of the band’s most rock-centric album.
“Is This It” is a certified classic for a reason so we’re not going to sit here and risk crapping on it. The band struck gold with their debut release, delivering hit-after-hit and some of the genre’s most-iconic songs. Casual music fans will recognize 70% of these tracks–even if they mistakenly attribute one to some nineties one-hit wonder or The Killers. Hell, if a song from this album plays at a wedding everyone from your grandmother to your 5-year-old niece will legitimately “bop to it” and the only complaints will come from audiophiles and bedroom producers blathering on about telephone effects and envelope filters. Who invited them anyway? Like any good rock record, this one burst onto the scene unexpectedly and was the subject of not one, but TWO, scandals—leading to re-releases with alternate album art and the removal of “New York City Cops” from the tracklist following 9/11. All in a days work for this legendary piece of rock history.