Reggae rhythms and angsty lyrics

American ska-punk band, The Interrupters, have released their fourth album, In The Wild. The band is made up of three brothers: Jesse, Justin, and Kevin Bivona, and their lead singer Aimee Allen. This is the follow-up to their 2018 release, Fight the Good Fight, which hit number 2 on the US Indie Billboard. In the Wild is playful, rhythmically catchy and a great addition to The Interrupters’ discography.

Ska-punk takes the bitter lyricism and energy from the punk genre and mixes it with reggae beats and a more upbeat melody. This record reflects a variety of themes while offering a healthy mix of sonically and melodically diverse tracks. The band also includes tracks that lean more towards the ‘ska’ sound, like “Kiss the Ground,” and “Love Never Dies,” as well as songs that are more of the ‘punk’ variety like “Anything Was Better,” and “Worst for Me.”

The album starts off strong with its first track “Anything Was Better,” which is upbeat and relentlessly catchy. Allen’s vocal style is reminiscent of Courtney Love in Hole’s Live Through This, which is an essential ‘90s punk listen. The record continues on with “As We Live” which is very different from the first track, stylistically speaking. It is a very grand and boisterous track filled with brass instrumentation that creates a unique sound.

Although the record does not have particularly profound lyricism, it does deal with some deep subject matter. In “Raised by Wolves” the lyrics, “You left a child out in the wild / And I was raised by wolves,” were perhaps inspired by apathetic or absent parents. “The Hard Way” is about never listening to authority even when their advice may be helpful, and “learning everything the hard way.”

The last track “Alien” paints the struggle to fit into society, with Allen comparing herself to an alien. This song has some heavy-hitting lines like “Do they feel the pain or is it just me?” and, “My bones are the bars of a jail.” It ends the album on a more somber note, illustrating a strong feeling of loneliness.

Even though ska-punk is certainly not an in-demand genre by today’s standard, In The Wild’s material deals with timeless themes that are easy to relate to by teens or young adults. These themes, mixed with the catchy and melodious beats, are sure to inspire some positive feelings in the listener. Overall, the album has a lot of heart and is worth a listen.