Have you managed to survive Whamageddon? Have you suffered through ‘Sippin’ the Seattle Latte Land’? Or maybe you’re no longer inappropriately chuckling through that super cheesy ‘Christmas Shoes,’ song.. either way, with the Holiday season now officially starting at about 1:00 AM November 1st on damn near every soft music station these days and lasting until January Whatever-eth, it becomes a real slog to get through car rides, work days, shopping of any design and get togethers.
That’s why I was more than ready to get ‘Elfed Up,’ as soon as I was given the opportunity, especially since the last Backyard Superheroes’ I got my mitts on was extremely legit. I was sad it was only two songs, but I’ll give them a pass if they agree to do two holiday songs of this caliber on a yearly basis*. I mean for a somebody who loves third wave Ska and has a taste for a bit of Anti-Holiday cheer, but doesn’t want to go full Humbug, these two tracks are perfect, here’s why:
– Two Song, Two talented Vocalists:
Myself, I’m a big Hot Water Music Fan and always loved that Chuck and Chris would trade off lead vocals (Goddamn it, Jeremy, IT’s NOT the SAME DUDE!), or Dan Adriano & Matt Skiba in Alkaline Trio or Tom & Mark in Blink 182 and in fact, I am a fan of non-permanent lead vocalists in bands in general, especially when the voices are distinct. Becky handles the vokes on ‘This Christmas,’ while Josh takes on ‘Coal in My Stocking,’ and while their styles and ranges are very different, they’ve got the chops for the mic and sound perfect fronting the group.
-The Ghost of Pop Punk Yet to Come:
Okay, so I’m a 90s kid and of course, my first forays into punk music were Green Day, Blink 182, elements of Everclear and those Sublime songs where Bradley just kind of put Jamaica in the corner. As I got older, I had some friends that introduced me to Fat Wreck Chords, Epitaph and Honest Dons, and my affinity for the melodic hardcore, pop punk sound grew, especially with bands like Limp, Lagwagon, No Use For a Name, etc. To me, those were the best Pop punk groups because they all played songs with memorable, singable and catchy lyrics, but also played FAST and weren’t afraid to play more than three chords per song, or blend in some Ska, or Metal. Then, Drive Thru records grew, followed by the Mainstreaming of Emo, and hey, I ain’t here to spill beer on anybody’s Black Parade, but it just wasn’t in sync with me as the goofiness, over exuberance and manic need to fidget that I get from the others.
So, to make a long meandering digression even longer, but hopefully bring it back to the topic at hand, I feel like there are a decent amount of third wave Ska bands that are kind of reclaiming the Pop Punk mantle and doing it well, Backyard Superheroes definitely fitting into this category and this Holiday EP being a great example of it: ‘This Christmas,’ reminds me of Hang Ups Era Goldfinger, catchy, punky, powerful and able to jump from Ska to Punk on a dime, While ‘Coal in My Stocking,’ feels like a nod to the fun side of The Ramones with a chanted chorus and some goofy voiceovers that could be at home on the Lower East Side, (though the kid does kind of sound like Burger, the Beagle Boy).
-It’s an EP With a Heart Two Sizes too Big:
Yep, the ‘Heroes know how to write catchy songs, but they also know how to care, cuz the proceeds of these two gems are going to Toys for Tots! Yea, help some kids find something waiting for them under a tree while adding to your collection of Good Holiday Music. I mean $2 is definitely not breaking the bank and hey, the next time a mob shows up at your doorstep demanding Figgy Pudding, you just crank this get them Elfed Up and to All a Good Night 🙂
*I’m sure if y’all agree, a whole bunch of downloads of these tunes would sweeten the pot a bit.
The Ska Mission 