The Skints announce new album ‘Swimming Lessons’ and share single ‘Armageddon’ feat. Runkus
THE SKINTS
‘SWIMMING LESSONS’
NEW ALBUM RELEASED 10TH MAY VIA MR BONGO/EASY STAR
STREAM NEW SINGLE ‘ARMAGEDDON’ FEAT. RUNKUS HERE
“Hard-hitting lyrics and sunny, feel good grooves” THE GUARDIAN
“Packed with energy and tonnes of soul” CLASH
“The Skints are very much a band on the cusp; they are at the top of their game right now” LOUDER THAN WAR
London “tropical punk” four-piece The Skints are pleased to announce the release of their highly anticipated fourth album, ‘Swimming Lessons’, out on 10th May via Mr Bongo/Easy Star.
Drawing on influences as sprawling as Bad Brains, Popcaan, No Doubt, Alton Ellis, Wiley and Weezer, ‘Swimming Lessons’ deals with crushing heartbreak, the impending doom of Brexit and the current political climate, all the while surviving as independent musicians navigating the weird world of 2019. All of these are proverbial “swimming lessons” life throws at us.
Born from the underground London punk scene, The Skints have built up a formidable live reputation in recent years, playing as many as 150 shows a year. They are described by Clash magazine as “the torchbearers for modern British reggae music”, marking them out as one of the most respected bands in the UK, whilst maintaining independence and a strong connection to their DIY roots.
Along with sold-out shows across the UK, Europe and the US, the band have performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world, and recently received plaudits for their new single ‘Learning to Swim’, grabbing critical acclaim, airplay and nods of approval from far and wide including the I (The Independent), Louder Than War and Don Letts on BBC Radio 6 Music.
Lyrically their darkest and most introspective release to date, ‘Swimming Lessons’ takes its inspiration from reggae, soul, dub, punk, hardcore and rap. The Skints have a knack for fusing different genres of music that strike an accessible chord with a political, personal and philosophical message. From 8 Bit-influenced dancehall to sound system shaking dub, melodic grunge to harmony laden soul, ‘Swimming Lessons’ boasts collaborations with three of Jamaica’s brightest roots stars of today.
“In the 4 years since our last album, ‘FM’, the band has toured globally non-stop. The creative hunger in us has been building up so much, because as an independent operation, we simply haven’t had the luxury of spending money on studio time whilst playing to sustain ourselves”, says guitarist and vocalist Josh Waters Rudge.
New single ‘Learning to Swim’ is a sentimental blend of lovers rock, pop and hardcore punk as The Skints confront personal tragedy while the rub-a-dub heavy ‘Restless’, questions the broken promises and perpetual lies of those governing over us today, featuring Grammy-nominated Jamaican reggae star, Protoje.
Elsewhere, The Skints delve into pop-punk territory with ‘What Did I Learn Today’ and ‘The Island’, showcasing the band’s ability to effortlessly jump from one genre to the next, before the collaborations continue with freestyler Runkus on the carnival-friendly ‘Armageddon’ and Jesse Royal on the soulful ‘Love is the Devil’.
“As well as enlisting some of the absolute best of Jamaican vocal talent on the features, we’re really trying to push all ends of the spectrum of what The Skints music is and can be. Our whole back catalogue is diverse in mood and emotion, song to song, and on Swimming Lessons we’ve tried to take things a step further”, adds keyboardist/vocalist Marcia Richards.
Formed while at school in 2007, The Skints hail from the Waltham Forest and Redbridge boroughs of North East London. They cut their teeth in London’s underground punk scene, before venturing out of the M25 to play their first self-booked DIY venture, going on to embark on a heaving touring regime across the nation.
Debut album ‘Live, Breathe, Build, Believe’, released at the end of 2009, was championed by BBC Radio 1’s Punk Show, whilst 2012’s ‘Part & Parcel’, the second full-length album by the band, further built their fan base and opened doors to heavy touring, festivals and markets outside of the UK and across Europe. The follow-up album, the critically-acclaimed ‘FM’, released in 2015, reached number 5 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and number 7 on the Independent Albums Chart in the UK, seeing The Skints tour relentlessly across the USA, Canada and Japan.
Since the band’s conception, The Skints have toured extensively across the globe, playing hundreds of shows and festivals including Summerjam (Germany), Dour Festival (Belgium), California Roots (US) and ReggaeSunSka (France). In the UK, The Skints sold-out their most recent UK tour including London’s prestigious Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and have performed at Reading and Leeds Festival, Bestival, Glastonbury and Boomtown Festival performing to 15,000 fans.
In addition, the band have supported a number of bands internationally that include NOFX, Less Than Jake, Mariachi El Bronx, Gym Class Heroes, Protoje, You Me At Six, Sublime with Rome, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Beat, Steel Pulse and Stephen Marley.
Supporters of The Skints include BBC Radio 2’s Jonathan Ross, Robert Elms on BBC Radio London, Steve Lamacq and Craig Charles on BBC Radio 6 Music and David Rodigan on BBC Radio 1Xtra.
Mr Bongo is a Brighton based independent record label and home to Hollie Cook, Protoje, Seu Jorge, Prince Fatty, Incredible Bongo Band, Jorge Ben and more.
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