Jeff Rosenstock Has Me Asking: If Everything 90s is Hot Right Now, Why Are We Afraid of a Ska Revival?

Bros and copycats killed ska in the mainstream. Maybe Rosenstock's new Ska Dream will bring the genre back

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Last year, Jeff Rosenstock put out No Dream, a pretty damn good modern punk album.

After receiving high praise for the newest entry in his impressive solo discography, Rosenstock announced on April Fool’s Day that he’d be re-releasing the record on 4/20, this time as Ska Dream. Not only did the album seem like a joke because of the dates, but also, who’s listening to ska in 2021?

When Ska Dream did indeed come to fruition on 4/20 with no other announcements or advertising, it made sense that Rosenstock wasn’t fooling anyone. Before his current solo phase, the Long Islander was known for his work with the ska punk band The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, and leading Bomb the Music Industry!, a DIY punk collective.

As much as I’m a fan of Rosenstock’s last few albums, the ska theme made me hesitant, and it took a while for me to give Ska Dream a listen.

What I found was one of the most fun musical experiences of the year. If you haven’t listened to No Dream, I highly recommend listening to it as it will make you fully appreciate the brilliance of Ska Dream.

While keeping the lyrics and primary song structures the same from No Dream, Rosenstock and his talented band turn them around, trading the breakneck pace of the original for horn sections and penetrating guitar upstrokes. In addition to the skankin’ album cover update, the song names have changed. Gone are “NO TIME,” “Nikes (Alt),” and “The Beauty of Breathing,” and in their place are the newly-themed “NO TIME TO SKANK,” “Airwalks (Alt),” and “The Rudie of Breathing.”

My naivety on the genre over the last twenty years left me surprised by how great a new ska album could be again. I spend my summers listening to a lot of classic ska, rock steady, and dub, but Ska Dream sounds so fresh after my interest in the last iteration of mainstream ska faded decades ago.

So with every other 90s genre getting a turn again right now, where is the ska revival? Understanding that the DIY ska scene has never really gone away, I wonder if the genre can come back on a mainstream level.

Ska has been around since the 50s when it started in Jamaica as the precursor to reggae and rocksteady. The first wave of ska is ripe for rediscovering as it was influenced by American soul and R&B and has aged very well. The genre received a second life in the late-70s when it was revitalized in the UK, where it was picked up by the working class and immigrants, with The Specials leading the way.

The third wave of ska started in the late-80s and continued through the 90s, infusing even more punk. I’d imagine it’s what probably pops into your head when you think of ska, as this was when ska went mainstream. Bands like Fishbone, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Sublime, and a thousand copycats were all the rage. No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom came in second in sales in 1997 to the Spice Girls at ska punk's peak.

With ska at the height of its popularity, the third wave movement lost sight of the genre’s roots and became a parody of itself, full of bro culture and bands that all sounded alike.

What would it take to create some buzz around ska again?

For ska to be considered again by anyone under thirty, there’s no better place to start than what Jeff Rosenstock has done with Ska Dream.

Its lyrics are sincere and from the heart, with great laughs to lighten the air. It’s unlike the third wave and beyond, who were mostly just dudes whining about relationships. No Dream tackled the everyday struggle of living in modern America, and the ideas transfer surprisingly well to the ska punk genre.

Musically, ska became a limited genre, where bands were emulating each other. Rosenstock expands on what ska can be and looks back to the genre’s roots by also dipping into dub and rocksteady, with some jazzier moments.

The idea of ska still presents as a joke for most, including myself. The genre was not in a good place last time most people listened. But Jeff Rosenstock has suggested where the genre can go and reminds us of how fun it can be.

With a look back to its roots and some topical lyrics, ska could have its place in the sun once again.