“There’s Reason” by skinNbones

Rock is certainly at an interesting crossroads in this day and age. By modern standards, it’s seen as a little corny and outdated and I’m mainly speaking on behalf of the current generation who are more invested in the sounds of indie and homegrown acts that can make beats in their bedroom. Simultaneously, when rock music does slip out into the ether, it’s in very cramped company.

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Rock and its various sub-genres have paved the way for countless forms of musical exploration not even limited to the rock genre, crossing over into punk, electronic, even rap and hip hop. Rock can sometimes feel like the paprika of musical spices. It can certainly add a bit of flavor but it’s also not something particularly potent on its own given the current recipes. Jason Kafoa and his band skinsNbones must be aware of this as evident from their mission statement to create a blend of contemporary and classical sounding rock tunes, but with modern lyrical sensibilities. I’m not 100 percent certain their experiment at its current state is a success, but it’s a damn exciting thing to witness. The bands logo is a mutated question mark as the band wants to probe modern societal issues with a thoughtful examination.

It’s a far cry from the plethora of modern “Dad rock” that are much more consumed by replicating nostalgia than looking to the future, something I suspect keeping the genre from sliding back into mainstream appeal. With there most recent release “There’s Reason”, I’m not necessarily certain it will convince detractors of the genre, but there’s something exciting about watching a band still in their infantry discovering and hone their voices, and skinsNbones is no exception. On “There’s Reason”, front man Kafoa waxes about the difficulty of feeling overwhelmed by an uncertain world in uncertain times and his pleas for the us and the world to trust that there is reason to the movements of the world, but its up to us to carve our own destiny. It’s a welcome positive point of view in a toxic year. Having listened to some of their previous tracks, most of which you can find on Spotify, I did find myself left wanting a little more out of this recent release. It’s far from anything I’d consider bad or even middling, but I think it’s a little less exciting than their previous ventures. Partially I suspect it’s because it can be difficult to make a song, let alone a 5 minute one, about positivity and not in a bar style drunkenness kind of way.

Rock tends to have a meaningful effect when diving into the maximalism of its inherent lifestyle. It’s personalities are big and its sounds are bigger, but this isn’t that kind of song and I expect some to be turned off by it. As is stands, I think we could use a bit more understated positive art and by supporting it, we’re only encouraging the bands to grow and evolve and see their sound evolve. I quite like skinsNbones, and I’d like to see where they go next.

Zachary Rush

The music of skinsNbones has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division.  Learn more https://musikandfilm.com