Song of the Week: No JK

It's that time of the week again (how does it roll around so quickly?) and so here I am with another instalment of Song of the Week. No JK won 59% of the vote in the Facebook group - not quite the landslide that Stupid Much? received, but as yet another favourite of mine, I'll take it!

Like so many of The Skinner Brothers' songs, this one was written with obvious passion and defiant rebellion. Having listened to Zac share some of his history on various YouTube videos, I think it's safe to say there's a healthy dose of anger mixed in too. Personally speaking, I'm a huge fan of songs that are so loaded with energy and emotion that you can almost feel them punch you in the face, and No JK definitely fits that bill.

Before you even hear a lyric you know this song is going to get the blood pumping. Within the first 10 seconds you're teased in with a lively but light drumbeat which is quickly followed up with the rhythmic thumping of the guitar. Yes, thumping is my highly technical term for that sound. What? I studied hard to come up with that one! Technicalities aside, thumping is a pretty accurate description, and you really feel it.

Four paragraphs in, 10 seconds into the song, and we're already pumping and thumping. Umm, yeah, I should maybe leave that trail of thought there, before this gets derailed into an entirely different post. This is what happens when I write at 3 in the morning (I stupidly spent hours procrastinating by playing Halls of Torment instead of writing. Who needs sleep anyway, right?).

I did however want to point out that Zac is an absolute master at setting the mood for an entire song straight off the bat in the opening notes. For this, my friends, is most definitely a song of defiance, and you feel that right from the start.

"Nah I never left the country Ima die on London city streets
Never got nothing no help never come to me
People used to have a fucking backbone
Now they film shows on their iPhone"

Unsurprisingly, the opening verse is hefty. There's a sense of pride and loyalty (albeit with a defiant edge) about England, specifically London, but also a recognition that despite that feeling of loyalty, neither country nor city has reciprocated those deep feelings. It can be a bittersweet experience, loving the place you were born in even when it doesn't treat you kindly. A feeling shared by many in recent years, I'm sure.

The final two lines are a neatly summed-up commentary on the twisted priorities that too many people have in this world we inhabit. One where people would rather film not just shows, but people in awful situations (a scene where paramedics are needed, for example). Too many would rather film somebody in distress than stop to actually help them, or preserve the dignity of somebody involved in an emergency situation, because apparently Instagram likes are far more important.

I often think that Zac's lyrics can be overlooked in songs like this one, where it's easy to be carried away by the music. I've heard Zac himself say that his lyrics aren't the best. I wholeheartedly disagree, and this is just one example among many. Sure, it's not scholarly language, but it doesn't need to be. It's the language of working-class England, but that doesn't lessen the meaning, in fact in this context it adds to it. Trust me, I've spent enough time around English professors and their tomes while studying English to know this. A mere four lines gave me plenty to think about, and it also establishes a sense of time and place. I'm telling you, some of the best poets out there would be happy with that!

Of course, that doesn't detract from the fact that this song is also just a straight up bop. I don't catch the lyrics every time I listen, because the background music is so damn good and catchy that most times I'm so focused on that rhythm that I could probably compete extremely well with that headbanging parrot I once saw on YouTube.

The lyrics are cleverly written though, and unlike the gif which is there purely for my own amusement, hold deeper meaning if you care to look for it. I'm sure you all know this already, but I thought it still deserved to be pointed out.

This brings us neatly onto the chorus, which is not only catchy and punchy, but has some satisfying alliteration too. I do love a good bit of alliteration; it just presses all the right buttons for me. I know, sometimes I'm just easily pleased! That aside, the thumping bass line really hits home throughout the chorus, and much like the lyrics, makes you feel like you just want to let your hair down and go a little bit crazy.

This is my favourite kind of dancefloor tune, if I'm honest. I love Bones for the same reason - it's the kind of vibe that lets you escape yourself and just feel some (hugely therapeutic) aggressive energy rip through every fibre of your being. This is obviously a little less aggressive than Bones, but it still has that raw energy, fueled by bitter disappointment with the world.

In the second verse we really get to the crux of the matter - the music industry.

"I don't care about much I'm just trying to survive o
Reading and Leeds we had the place on a live o
And fuck the industry they wont let us in
Knocked 2 times now we're gonna kick it in"

I love this verse. If you've been listening to The Skinner Brothers for a while, especially if you've watched the videos on YouTube where Zac talks about his experiences with the industry, you'll know exactly what's behind the wholeheartedly deserved scorn and frustration that's being emanated here. The industry is in a terrible state and it swallows driven young musicians whole, then chews them up and rudely spits them out. I had a much ruder version of that line in my head, but I'm sure you catch my drift.

But, not being one to be easily deterred, Zac decided that instead of waiting for the door to open, he'd kick it in himself. When we're launched into the chorus, the opening word, "Bo", really does sound like a kick and a hefty one at that. Note to self: don't get on Zac's bad side.

Lest we forget, the brilliant Hen$haw is a collaborator on No JK. As with Mark of the Beast, he brings his own energy in spades. Lyrically he matches the theme of the song well, adding to the sense of place with a demonstration of solidarity ("I link my bro in Bow") and a need to escape the harsher side of it (party time!). Personally I love the addition of heavily accented rap here, it really emphasises that connection to London and sonically gives a rhythmic texture that fits right in.

To sum up my feelings about No JK, it's a song of passionate rebellion which is really well illustrated in both sound and voice. Not content with just being a great tune to vibe to, there's a depth to it that maybe isn't obvious at first glance. At its core you'll find punk, but interpreted with a modern twist.

"Knocked 2 times now we're gonna kick it in"

The Skinner Brothers have indeed kicked it in (which we couldn't be happier about!), and I truly hope there's as much satisfaction in that as I imagine there is. As if to demonstrate that, I just had the timely news that the Facebook page has reached 20,000 followers. Some people may sniff at that number, but I know the blood, sweat, tears and sheer hard graft and determination that it's taken to get there. For a truly independent band, in every sense of the word, it's a fantastic achievement.

Add that to the 43,000 followers on Instagram, the 12,700 on YouTube and the 71,122 on Spotify, it's plain to see that those constantly rising numbers aren't just a fluke. That first door might have been kicked in, but the next one is about to be blown to pieces. The SB only drops bombs and nukes, after all.

No JK is part of the album Soul Boy IV, which you can buy from Bandcamp by clicking the button below.

Buy the album on Bandcamp