Between forming in 2022 and releasing their debut in 2026, New Hamsphire’s The Selectmen had doubled the size of their line-up, but on the basis of the material that forms the ‘POP! RIP…’ EP, it was definitely the right move. On these five songs, none of the eight members are in any way surplus; the band’s extended membership really breathes life into a blend of ska and soul in a way that sounds invigorating, despite the influences being somewhat obvious. Not that great ska needs to break new ground, of course. It’s about rousing an audience, and that’s something The Selectmen do particularly well.
Lead track ‘Uh-Oh’ kicks off with a rousing riff where muted guitar chords are joined by jubilant brass, setting a great ska tune in place. Naturally, given the band’s location, both the tone and production owe more to the US third wave than the UK’s second wave of ska, but it’s immediately clear that The Selectmen are tight, and the warm production values really help to bring the track to life. With almost immediate effect, it’s possible to draw comparisons to The Planet Smashers and the later, more commercial Bosstones, but a slightly curly sounding vocal delivery sets them apart. Song wise, things are pleasingly direct: during the verse, Tal Bayer’s confident vocal delivery jostles against a busy guitar, but in terms of making that all important first impression, it’s the chorus that counts, and by introducing a round of gang vocals to share a wordless hook, they grab their audience’s attention with ease.
Slowing down a touch, ‘Same Old Song’ adopts more of a mid tempo, but the mix of reggae and ska influences allow bassist Lucas Nyman to share a much greater sound. With the help of a peppering of brass and a pointed vocal, he steers a very political number to greatness. Sounding a lot like one of the Bosstones more sedate affairs, the track quickly becomes an effective platform for calling out nazis on social media, of challenging ICE’s presence in the streets at the time of recording, and lamenting a world falling apart at the hands of right wing ignorance. As suggested by the title, the hook concerns the fact that history repeats itself; how the names change, but the hateful motivations are the same. It’s a great touch from The Selectmen to create something that champions open and left wing views and then couple that with something sounds so much like a Bosstones throwback given how Dicky Barrett’s rather questionable stance on social issues split his band…but for those not into socio-political views, the music will certainly be strong enough to entertain here.
Changing the tempo yet again, the intro to ‘Long Lost Days’ kicks off with a jangling guitar and wheezing sax, before breaking into another feel-good ska groove. The heart of the track feels similar to the previous tracks, but a swirling organ (courtesy of James Laby) taking cues from old Blue Beat records and a slightly punkier chorus name-checking the mighty Joe Strummer ensures this sounds different enough. Looking beyond the straight up ska elements, it’s actually one of the band’s best arrangements: the middle eight slows enough to feel soul tinged and reflective, and the contrast between that and the punkier chorus – carrying faint traces of Buck-O-Nine, capturing the band at somewhere near their most aggressive – shows how effortlessly the eight musicians can approach different musical moods. With more straight up, no nonsense ska powering ‘Some Days’, listeners are likely to enjoy some superb interplay between the bass and keys, but perhaps more than ever here, it’s the brass section who steal the show with huge fills, and their cheeky interjections once the track drops into a ‘Come On Eileen’ style knees up provide an integral part of the band’s sound.
The EP is rounded out by ‘Dirty Mags’, a paean to a bygone time, to hedgerow porn and lads having to work much harder to source adult entertainment in a pre-internet era. Applying some ska elements to a much punkier track, it’s great to hear guitarist David Gooze really going for it with more of a post-punk tone and drummer Jon Clark locking down a superb, speed driven rhythm, before dropping into a military riff for an extended middle section. There’s a strong sense of melody here, too. As with ‘Some Days’, there are moments where the blend of bass and keys really shines through, and others where the trumpet adds an almost Mariachi inspired edge. Everything combined, this results in one of The Selectmen’s most adventurous numbers.
It’s only natural that The Selectmen’s ska fuelled sound would have a nostalgic element, and songs about summers of youth and tactile sauciness really feed into that, but with lyrics that also concern themselves with a deeply alarming present, they’re clearly not just trotting out easy tunes while wearing rose-tinted specs. At barely fifteen minutes long, ‘POP… RIP!’ is too short, but there’s something of interest here for most ska lovers, and released at a time when Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish are long past their best, it’s great to hear new talents coming through.
February 2026