Everyone loves Less Than Jake, but who’s really engaged with their music since ‘Hello Rockview’? The endlessly touring and effortlessly entertaining ska kids have found themselves as a reliable staple support band and festival afternoon fixture, becoming the musical equivalent of mozzarella sticks; no one’s sad to see them appear at the table, but they’re unlikely to make or break your day.
However, there’s far more substance than you’d expect on ‘Uncharted’, Less Than Jake’s latest EP and their first record since 2020’s ‘Silver Linings’. It’s less that they’ve made a leap into the modern age, and more that 2024 is finally ready for some more Less Than Jake vibes.
Lead single ‘Sunny Side’ is a throwback delight, with a video to match ‘The Science of Selling Yourself Short’ only with more pirate ships and an easygoing message of optimism. Bassist Roger Lima says “’Sunny Side’ is like a reminder to actively make an effort to live in the present. Move past your old haunts and be the absolute best version of you that you can,” and he’s bang on. It’s a three-minute, horn-heavy oasis of nostalgia. The LTJ hallmark of “peppy melody meets self-critical lyrics” is out in force on ‘Broken Words’, but there’s a lilting twist towards resilience in between the pop-punk riffs and gutsy tooting. ‘Walking Pipebomb’ carries on in the same vein only twice as fast, because what else gets you out doldrums like the chance to start a nineties skank pit? Open up the windows and let in the horn section on ‘Brand New Day’ for to reveal an escape route from the winter blues.
Ok, this isn’t the EP which will kick start another ska revival (partly because in some DIY circles, the last one isn’t over yet). But there is a time and a place for a solid, inoffensive record from a reliably fun and unchallenging band, crammed with open, relatable lyrics and candy-coated horn parts. With the state of the world as it stands at the end of 2024, a new Less Than Jake EP feels like a joy, an old friend swinging back through town for a few days, bringing memories of good times and a promise to be back again next summer as they are every year.
KATE ALLVEY