SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE SKINTS – SWIMMING LESSONS

The Skints
Swimming Lessons
Easy Star Records

London “tropical punk” band The Skints have been making some waves the past few months with their most recent release Swimming Lessons. I can’t help but be thoroughly impressed with this album from start to finish. With its outstanding use of musical flavours such as reggae, soul, dubstep, punk, ragga, and rap, it all ties together effortlessly. In fact, so effortlessly that one doesn’t really quite realize that all these genres are being integrated into one soundscape experience. Swimming Lessons is a beautifully crafted project that puts together dark, thoughtful lyricism with intricate use of musicianship. It is a fusion of musical genres that displays political yet personal messages.

Moments like “Learning to Swim” dive us into a delightful reggae and punk experience. It is the perfect start to Swimming Lessonsas it introduces all the beautiful experiences we will hear for the remainder of this 14-track journey. “Gets on Top” is sure to be a crowd favorite with its infectious use of rap and island flair. We get into a different kind of territory when we hear instant classics such as “What Did I Learn Today?”and “The Island,” where some of the island muse takes a back seat to advance the punkaesthetic.This isn’t a bad thing, as it serves as a pleasant pallet cleanser, showing that the band is capable of producing a really great rock record.

Overall, this album is a huge success in more ways than one. Its combination of tropical,rock, and rap genres keeps the record interesting which delivers a melodic, rhythmic adventure force to be contended with.

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