The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Let’s Face It
welcome back to the Skaject folks! the record we’re listening to is Let’s Face It, the 1997 record from The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
okay so first things first – The Impression That I Get is, to my knowledge, the highest charting ska single of this era. Rancid’s Timebomb, No Doubt’s Spiderwebs, Sublime’s Santeria, they’re all prrrrobably, in 2025, better known ska songs, and certainly the albums those tracks were on may have sold better, but like, The Impression That I Get is, from the little bits of research i’ve done, the highest charting single. i’ve been known to tolerate some “mozzarella stick music” memery from time to time but i at least have a decent understanding of the roots of the genre – the independence music of Jamaican ska, the ways that the 70s and 80s ska music in Britain was born out of unity during periods of race and class strife, and how even bands like the Toasters have continued that legacy in the states. but it always boggles the mind that The Impression That I Get, and consequently the title track of the record it’s from, didn’t impact the perception of the genre in the broader consciousness.
because The Impression That I Get is a very reflective song, one born out of empathy and shared tragedy. it was released a year before the full album on a charity album in support of the victims of an attack on an abortion clinic. Let’s Face It, the title track, is a track that calls out racial hate. it can be a bit surface level and a bit preachy, as can Royal Oil and Nevermind Me’s approach to drug use, but i think that attempt to engage with some larger issues is really affective, here, and feels incredible earnest and sincere.
i first listened to this record a few years ago for the first iteration of the Skaject, pre-pandemic. i remember this record being a high point of the Bosstones’s run, and i think i am just extremely particularly fond of the opening run so much that i look back on it super fondly (Noise Brigade is a fantastic way to start things with a track about performing as a job and living on a bit of a knife’s edge, the Rascal King is a fun song loosely inspired by a historical figure, and even Royal Oil is pretty catchy, which then leads to Impression and Let’s Face It). with a more critical eye, i definitely see where it falters, but i think this album in particular shows a kind of earnestness that feels almost bittersweet in 2025.
faves – Noise Brigade, The Rascal King, The Impression That I Get, Let’s Face It
dislikes –
Let’s Face It – 7/10
next week – The Dance Hall Crashers’ Honey, I’m Homely.
previous: Upbeats and Beatdowns | next: Honey, I’m Homely
previous Mighty Mighty Bosstones release: Question the Answers | next: Pay Attention
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