When the world needed them most, they listened – no announcements, no singles, no preorders. On a random Tuesday morning Austin skacore group Hans Gruber And The Die Hards, known for their unexpectedly chaotic live performances, unexpectedly released their latest and chaotic full-length album “Or Hans Gruber And The Die Hards”. Not only was this released independently while on tour, but the overall production is super clean, features an orchestra worth of instruments, and has some of the most relevant lyrics of today’s society hidden within a blend of ska, hardcore, cumbia, and punk. To call this just a ska punk album would not be enough. The image on the album cover is clear and yet has so much going on within it, which is exactly how I can describe the album as a whole. “Or Hans Gruber And The Die Hards” has more to offer than their previous LP (the album that introduced me to the band), and is highly recommended to give a listen as soon as possible.
“Everybody Wants To Be Oppressed” is the opening song, sounding most like the previous album, as if the band is transitioning us from “With A Vengeance” to the new album. It’s an uncensored commentary on today’s society that includes a critique on the privileged, a repeating theme through the album, being called out with lyrics like “it’s so hard being the majority, when history has made me the priority”. Another song that directly calls out is “Pay Your Tolls”, featuring folk punk band Doomscroll, which contrasts lives with the privileged and not so privileged: “Doesn’t matter how you struggle, miss a bill and you’re in trouble”.
One of my favorite songs features a band local to me, The Odd Advantage, in the song “One Day”, which talks about the dreams of the future that many are actively fighting for today, how “one day, the houses we build won’t be for the rich”. This song introduces cumbia that surprisingly makes up a good chunk of this album, also in songs “Chambacu” that has an awesome bass line and the perfect blend of ska/cumbia/punk, and closing song “Bed Bug Bailout”, which has the best use of instrumentals I’ve heard in any punk song.
Another song that stood out to me was “Throwdown”, sung solely by Rosey Armstrong. Although solo vocals from her are not unusual, she brought on a pop punk sound that isn’t common for the band, which was refreshing and added to the amalgamation of music well. She was also able to highlight her sick talents on the saxophone that I last heard when seeing them live almost a year ago. The chorus line on this song also reminded me of a chorus common in new ska bands like Kill Lincoln, Sad Snack, and Chudson that mimics the chorus in pop punk.
When you think about it, it’s really no surprise this album was released unannounced. That’s just the complete madness and random initiatives to be expected by Hans Gruber And The Die Hards. Songs like “Confirmation Bias” and “Trash Festers” show off their ska punk skills, while “Earplugs 4 Sale” and “It Gets Worse” prove that you shouldn’t limit a band to a single style. This album is not only fun, it’s relative. In a country currently full of turmoil and division, take comfort in bands like Hans Gruber that welcome diversity with open arms and horns.
This isn’t a band you can just listen to, in order to get the full Die Hards experience, you must see them live. I guarantee that you won’t sit still.
“Or Hans Gruber And The Die Hards” is available on Bandcamp.