Random Hand – Self Titled

West Yorkshire’s Random Hand have now been around for two decades, I’m not sure how this happened and I doubt they are either, but that’s where we are, and they are back with a brand new self titled album to mark the occasion. Random Hand is the band’s fifth studio album, their first since 2015’s Hit Reset, and although age takes it toll on us, none of the fire that fuelled their previous releases has reduced in intensity and that ska punk flame is still burning as brightly as ever. If you love the sound that swept in with the third of wave ska then Random Hand’s new album will something to treasure, that’s not to say that this follows any template and this is definitely not another band recreating that vintage ska punk sound.

Random Hand are from Yorkshire and as everyone who’s encountered the locals from that area knows, in that part of the world people tend to do things their own way and on their own terms. Kicking off with the brutal horn fuelled The Cycle it’s clear this isn’t the summery party ska of Less Than Jake or Reel Big Fish, the same ingredients are present but they are channeled into political anger, that unsettling undercurrent that was present in The Specials early recordings is blended with punk rock fury to create an indelible first impression. There are moments such as Lifejackets and Break The Frame that bring the tempo, but not the fury, down slightly, conversely Dead Weight is a full blooded battle cry and there’s the anthemic almost metallic breakdowns of Here Lies The Music.

The ska fuelled elements that blend ska and punk are of course the the core sound of the album with Devil With A Microphone and Frequencies being stand out moments but Random Hand are no one trick pony. There is also the funky beat of XY and the melancholy acoustic track, Busy Lumps Of Carbon, that provide contrast. What Random Hand have produced after two decades is a defiant snapshot of the modern punk scene that will stand up alongside anything else released this year. As they enter their third decade Random Hand are not giving any ground, the band are set to hit the road later this month to coincide with the release of the album with compatriots who are keeping the punk flag flying as we head towards 2024. The punk scene’s past might be acknowledged but Random Hand are not embedded in it, and that’s just how it should be.

Random Hand will be on a nine date tour in the UK from the 27th September accompanied by the likes of Popes of Chillitown, Riskee and the Ridicule, Roshambo, Nosebleed, Mr Shiraz, DeadBeat At Dawn, The Hostiles, The Sewer Cats and Headstone Horrors.