THE SKINTS

The Skints are one of Britain’s premier reggae/ska combos. Earlier this year the band released their dynamic fourth full length album, Swimming Lessons. The Skints are Jamie Kryriakides (Vocals/Drums/Guitar), Joshua Waters Rudge (Vocals/Guitar), Jonathan Doyle (Bass) and Marcia Richards ( Vocals/Keyboards/Alto Sax/Sampler).

The Skints dropped their first album, Live. Breathe. Build. Believe, in 2010 to favorable reviews. Albums Part &Parcel (2012) and FM (2015) followed. Since their inception the band have relentlessly toured around the world supporting such acts as 311, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish and a myriad of top notched artists.

The band’s style is a rambunctious blend of intermixed genres. It’s extremely difficult to pigeonhole The Skints. They beautifully mishmash reggae, ska, punk, soul and hip hop throughout their music. In many instances this mosaic is evident within a single song. On top of this The Skints use their platform to promote social change and equality.

Swimming Lessons is an amazing accomplishment. All fourteen songs are stand alone gems. The Skints songwriting and musicianship keeps getting stronger and sharper. This albums boasts solid grooves, impressive vocals and choice harmonies.

When I usually review an album I like to go track by track but since there are fourteen tracks on Swimming Lessons I’ll try to condense the review even though it’s really hard skipping any songs. They’re all that good.

Swimming Lessons opens with the appropriate titled “Learning to Swim”. “Learning to Swim” is the perfect representation of The Skints jumbling of musical styles. It opens with Richards nectarous vocals wrapped around a velvety reggae beat. Eventually the bass booms and the guitar fuzzes into a driving hard rock segue. The two genres effortlessly trade off throughout the tune. This is how The Skints roll.

“Restless” is a trippy song that tackles the anxiousness of the down trodden. Again The Skints do double duty, mixing reggae, hip hop and dub. The background wails near the end create a strangely eerie vibe. As an added bonus the astounding Proteje makes a guest appearance.

“New Kind of Friend” opens with a calliope interlude and morphs into a silky reggae rhythm. Kyriakides  plush vocals works well with the the whole aura of the song. Doyle’s strong bass highlights the tunes passion.”What Did I Learn Today”  takes The Skints down a punk/reggae path. The tempo switches from frantic punk overtones to mellow seascapes. The band is never conventional. There is always a twist.

“Oh My Love” follows and brings back love lost in a traditional island flow. Richards’ voice again is a standout.  “The Island” with vocals by Waters Rudge changes the pace with a straight punk song that rocks the house. It’s both aggressive and rousing. “I’m a Fool” throws in another completely different ambiance with its countrified r&b feel.

“Armageddon” is my favorite track on the L.P. All three vocalist power through an incredible musical drift that grabs the body and soul. The song just caresses the senses and doesn’t let go. The harmonies are beautifully hypnotic and reggae superstar Runkus’ segment is superb.

“Donkey Brain” with it stripped down vocals and acoustic guitar and the final song, “Stop Looking Back”, with its lovely soul ballad production step away from the fiery music and sets a delicate feel. These two songs shows the versatility of The Skints. They are absolutely tender delights.”La La La’ is an inventive hip hop concoction that thoroughly entertains with its Sly and Robbie like back beat and creative synths.

Another highlight of Swimming Lessons is “Love is the Devil” with a special appearance by Jesse Royal. If this tune doesn’t get you out of your seat and dancing nothing will. Smooth and compelling, this song is just plainly contagious.

The Skints new album is a dynamic piece of music. Every element (music, vocals, production) is impeccable. Swimming Lessons is definitely a crowning achievement.

The Skints

• Marcia Richards
• Jamie Kyriakides
• Joshua Waters Rudge
• Jonathan Doyle

Swimming Lessons is The Skints fourth album

• Live.Breathe.Build.Believe.———-2010 (Bomber Music)
• Part & Parcel————————–2012 (Bomber Music)
• FM————————————-2015 (Easy Star Records)
• Swimming Lessons——————2019 (Mr. Bongo/Easy Star Records

Next Post———————————–The Head and the Heart

 

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