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Tonight, Los Skagaleros are playing at the Grassfed 4 festival. It’s their first show in 512 days according to their guitarist, Ruben Farias, and yet, it feels like they’ve been active all along. The presence of this ska band and this album is so embedded in the RGV alternative scene that it seems like the album cycle from their first and only release is still going on after five years later. It kicked off with a Bandcamp release and a music video for their single “Infinitely” in 2016, with a second video not being uploaded until 2019, around the time the album was finally uploaded to streaming apps. They’ve powerfully played these same five songs for five years with no conviction or spirit being lost in themselves or their audience, as the shows are sometimes equal parts fund raiser, protest, and party among the community. They continue to be added to compilations, playlists, and given shoutouts through blogs and cover performances as well, but it’s also their political activism that goes hand in hand with their music that gives this album even more staying power.

The EP is the soundtrack to this band’s ethos, and as loud as they are, they certainly walk the walk as well. They’ve used their concerts to raise money for reproductive rights organizations and for access to abortions with their Skank For Choice events and compilation albums. This past week, they were involved in the push to stop Edinburg City Council from banning abortion, showing up to speak out at the meeting and spreading awareness online. Last year, their saxophonist and vocalist, Marco Lopez, went riding through colonias with a megaphone strapped to his car to encourage residents to be counted on the census. They’ve used their online presence to spread messages and help fund raisers for Black Lives Matter, immigrant support, and mutual aide, among other causes.

There is certainly a lot of heart in their message, but also in their sound. Their intricate iterations of punk and multiple waves of ska come complete with group shouts, nimble bass lines, nifty brass, dynamic yet fluid song structures, and an overall chemistry that’s impressive for a seven-piece band.

There are rocksteady leisurely grooves in “Infinitely” that are met with tense breaks and feel-good singalong melodies from both singers, Marco Lopez and Melli Medina. It’s about young love and all it’s doubts and daydreams, but there’s also context about the difficulty of modern youth (“Those days are over, these times are hard, but it’s the emptiness inside our hearts, that makes me feel so young.”) 

There is punk fury, blaring brass, and speed-talking urgency in “2 Tales of the Working Class.” The appeal of this song is immediate and hard-hitting, but the lyrics are also a reminder of how so many workers we called “essential” last year are hanging onto their lives by a thread, being one car breakdown away from losing a job, or one abusive incident away from crying themselves to sleep.

Medina let’s her Gwen Stafani-tinged vocals and triumphant trombone shine in the upbeat “C*nt Love,” which calls for solidarity between women in the face of slut shaming and societal pressure.

Inspired from a time when Lopez saw a dog being abused and the police not intervening due to their claim that the dog is property, he wholeheartedly belts out his own call for sympathy and awareness in “Its Not Property, Its Life.” The music isn’t full of rage or disgust, it’s actually slightly mournful but also peppy and celebratory in a sincere way, like giving victims some dignity. The breeziest moment of the album comes in the second half of the song with its serene 2-tone section with a sax solo that acts like a breather from an emotionally heavy album full of contentious topics.

A fan favorite is the combustable punk song, “Pxpx,” with its confrontational opposition to police brutality. The tense buildup to the rowdiest moment of the album as its send-off is vividly memorable after five years and countless live performances that powerfully galvanize a crowd.

As relevant as these stories are today, the record was released at a time before the major events that shaped our political talking points today — the election of Donald Trump, the murder of George Floyd, people refusing to work underpaid and under-appreciated jobs, and 2017’s #metoo movement — making it a timeless album for our scene and beyond. 

Politics aside, it’s a solid record on its own. It’s fun and rowdy, yet skillfully arranged. The potential of its individual members is impressive as well, as they have been involved in countless projects before and after this album, with new members joining Los Skagaleros as well. Guitarist Ruben Farias has his solo acoustic work, singer and trombonist Melli Medina worked with San Antonio band As I Dosed Myself, drummer Carmen Castillo has been involved in other bands such as Caldo Frio and Blight Night, trombonist Sadie Hernandez has her Jam Club project and has joined the ska cover supergroup Housebound Collective, and baritone sax player Denni Arjona has worked with JER (the band of YouTube’s Skatune Network). Three of its members were involved in the transmedia album “Futuro Conjunto”, which is set in the RGV’s future. It’s fitting to think that the ripples of this band’s influence will still be felt for centuries to come.

Score: 9/10

Stream and purchase L@s Skagaler@s below. Follow Los Skagaleros on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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