Album Review: Abraskadabra – Welcome

Abraskadabra are a seven piece ska punk band from Brazil, the ensemble’s new record Welcome is released today, February 20th 2018, and it delivers their own vision of the essence of ska punk. The album was written as a whole band, they searched for a raw punchy sound while exploring the full capacity of melody, instead of recording in a traditional studio environment, the group crammed themselves into an old house and captured everyone’s feelings and motivations in the moment. It isn’t just the fifteen years on the road that settle the power and unity of Abraskadabra, but also the energy and passion they put into the music they create.

Abraskadabra have toured all around Brazil and the US, sharing the stage with legends like Bad Religion, Rise Against, Goldfinger and Less Than Jake, whose drummer has publicly endorsed the band, and from the opening track, Nothing New, you can see exactly why, this is vintage ska punk that pays it dues to the bands they toured with and who influenced them. Welcome contains elements of pop punk, punk, ska punk and ska in varying ratios and, with the sole exception of the closing reggae number Empty Room, this album doesn’t deviate from the well established ska punk template laid down over the years, but crucially this doesn’t feel second hand, it feels as fresh and lively as Less Thank Jake‘s Borders And Boundaries or Goldfinger’s Stomping Ground did almost two decades ago.

If you’ve been paying attention it should come as no surprise that Welcome is an album that is just waiting to be discovered by fans of the likes of Goldfinger, Less Than Jake, Mad Caddies and Reel Big Fish, there is nothing on Welcome that is groundbreaking or that  brings anything new to the genre, but when it’s done this well does it really matter? Welcome is a blast from the past that reminds you exactly why you fell in love with ska punk in the first place, it’s an album that recaptures the energy and spirit of the original scene, and from my perspective that isn’t a bad thing.

Abraskadabra‘s Bandcamp can be found here and their website is here