8.6/10
Written by: T. Paine
OK. You got me. I was a ska kid in high school. I skanked, I wore two tone suits to 102 degree ska shows and I even thought Reel Big Fish was a credible musical act. But since I was also into punk rock, skacore bands were my drug of choice back in those days (along with pot). So, when Stza from one of my all time favorite bands, Choking Victim (and more notably, Leftover Crack) started a new band, Star Fucking Hipsters, naturally I was stoked. Imagine my sadness when I pre-ordered and bought their debut album and HATED it. It seemed unfocused and immature, and really made me step back and ponder if Stza still had it in him anymore.
Let me just start with this: STZA CRACK STILL HAS “IT” IN HIM. SORRY FOR DOUBTING YOU, DUDE.
“3000 Miles Away” kick starts the album in classic CV/LoC style and the male/female shared vocal duties are great. This album has heaps of the “focus” I felt was missing from the first Star Fucking Hipsters album, and even the last Leftover Crack Album. The songwriting is tight, and it sounds like all the old songs we used to mosh to with our stupid eight-inch Mohawks and leather jackets in people’s basements. The nostalgia factor is there, but even without it I feel this would still be a solid listen.
“The Civilization Show” came on I smiled like a big dumb kid. In a world where ska feels as dead as ever, this song grabbed me in the gut and I almost started a one man skank pit in my living room until I remembered I was a grown-ass man and my girlfriend was asleep. But I was standing, ready to go. That’s how good this song is; even the obligatory “pick it up pick it up pick it up!” sounded earnest and most importantly, fun. Stza’s lyrical content is so bleak it’s good to know that he still might be having a good time somehow.
Let me say this: In a world where artists are expected to deliver work that is consistently in the same vein as their previous work yet still contain some sort of intangible progression, Stza and Star Fucking Hipsters have succeeded by going back to what works best. The best little parts of all his previous bands are evident, and the song writing is just plain good. You don’t have to be a crust punk or a ska kid to get into this, but it sure helps.
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