Skinhead began as a side project in 2020 by Skull – drummer for bands like Black My Heart and Criminal Instinct, and a larger-than-life character in the American hardcore scene. The Fuck Fake Skins demo was meant as a one-off: fast, dumb, aggressive songs calling out posers and kicking the door in with a wink. It turned out to be far better than expected — a crude but compelling mix of hardcore and Oi! with a massive personality behind it.
Since then, Skinhead has evolved into a proper band, now including members of Terror, Haywire, Conservative Military Image, and Taylor Young of Twitching Tongues and God’s Hate, who also handles production. After a solid 2022 EP and their full-length debut in 2023, they’re back with It’s A Beautiful Day, What A Beautiful Day – a sharper, weirder, and more complete version of what they do best.
This isn’t subtle music. Skull doesn’t sing – he rants, howls, sneers, and mutters, like a bloke halfway through a bottle of something strong and not nearly finished venting. His voice falls somewhere between a hardcore frontman and the pissed bloke in the smoking area who’s just found someone to unload on. It shouldn’t work, but it does – especially when it’s framed by Skinhead’s punchy, often unexpectedly melodic instrumentals.
The album opens with .45, all stomping riffs and urgency, before launching into the provocatively titled Kill Yourself, which doesn’t hold back on the shock value. It’s not a joke record, but it is laced with a certain spiteful humour. Skull’s lyrics swing wildly between the deeply personal and the downright absurd – you’ll hear everything from frustrations about flaky mates on Separate Checks to a surprisingly earnest love letter to a dog on That’s A Promise.
The instrumentation deserves more credit than it usually gets in bands like this. There’s genuine musicality here: swaggering glam chords, punk rock urgency, and hardcore breakdowns all mashed into tight, loud bursts. There’s even a whiff of early Coldplay in some of the slower guitar progressions – not in a bad way, more in that unexpected “wait, this part’s actually sort of pretty?” way. It’s as if Drug Church took a few more pills, got angrier, and started writing songs in steel-toe boots.
Taylor Young’s production is lean and mean, keeping things raw but letting the occasional melodic layer shine through. Dreams and Ancient History stretch things out slightly, hinting at bigger ambitions beneath the bruises. There’s no filler here – just nine tracks that bounce between fury and farce.
This album doesn’t try to make friends, and that’s why it might win some over. Skull knows he’s a bit much – but that’s the point.
Releasedate: 20-06-2025 | Label: Open Casket Activities | Instagram
Tracklist:
01. .45
02. Kill Yourself
03. Chuck
04. Everything Is Stories
05. Ancient History
06. Dreams
07. Jog Your Memory
08. Separate Checks
09. That’s A Promise (The Song About A Dog)
