Have the time been reached for a new wave of ska punk? With some of the old guard still packing out venues and successful returns from UK stalwarts Lightyear, bands like Detached might be in with a chance of making their way without worrying about being “cool”.
Hailing from the “traditional” pop rock valleys of South Wales, the band have already managed to tuck away some impressive support slots, and with ‘Finding Time’ they’ll be looking to make their own mark. Detached are a sort of early Big D And The Kids Table with Less Than Jake brass work, and every element that makes those bands great is present across the album.
Despite the influences being worn on the band’s sleeve, there’s little doubt that they’ve got the experience to pen a decent tune. The album manages a solid 38 minutes without feeling samey and brings enough elements from skacore and more contemporary British Rock to make it sound fresh, and closer ‘Maybe Next Time’ actually ends up being one of the strongest on the album.
Somewhat obviously, though, if you’re not a ska punk you’re not going to be converted here. The same things that will have irritated with the Household Name and Deck Cheese crop will irritate here, but they’re undoubtably fully aware of this and are good at what they do.
Whether it’s truly time for ska punk to rear its head into wider appeal again – bringing all the lovely colourful shorts and old school skanking back to fruition – remains to be seen, but ‘Finding Time’ would have had pride of place in many UK ska punk collection back in the day. Hopefully, they’ll continue doing well off the back of it, and thought it’s certainly not a record that’s broken the mould for the genre, it’s one that’s instantly listenable, full of great melodies and well worth a listen.
TOM AYLOTT