Album Review: The Interrupters - “In The Wild”

 

It’s good to see the Interrupters back around here. Now on their third album, when they first emerged blinking into the sunlight a decade or so ago, they took a similar ska-punk template to the likes of the Skints or Sonic Boom Six but from an American perspective - it's no surprise at all that the band ended up signed to Hellcat records run by Tim Armstrong.

Pleased to report that they're not showing any signs of slowing down either with the barrelling anthemic Anything Was Better and the skanking As We Live (featuring Armstrong and the Bodysnatchers' Rhoda Dakar helping out on vocals) are a killer one-two to start this album off with the latter sounding like a 21st century Specials which is no bad thing at all. This dual approach continues throughout to good effect - on the one hand, the likes of Raised By Wolves, Afterthought, Worst For Me and Jailbird are full on fist-in-the-air anthems of defiance while the more dense dub-heavy likes of Kiss The Ground and Burdens show a more restrained direction to the attack and work well in their own right. There's even attempts at doo-wop and piano balladry on My Heart and Alien respectively - the former's a brave effort which doesn't quite work but the latter definitely sounds assured and proves to be another string to this band's bow. It's also good to see the Interrupters teaming up with their British equivalent the Skints for Love Never Dies, a gentle slice of summer reggae which shows both bands in full flow.

All in all, In The Wild is exactly the sort of album you'd want from the Interrupters at this stage in their career - building nicely on the progress of the previous two but keeping their signature sound very much intact. The band sound locked in and enjoying themselves here and that enthusiasm propels this album along with an impressive energy. Whether you're a veteran fan of this group or discovering them for the first time, In The Wild should be a good listen for you either way.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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