It’s been five long years since the world has heard anything new from Boston ska-core band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but it seems the band’s four-year hiatus might be up with a release of their new album, Medium Rare, last month. A collection of previously unreleased songs and tracks from rare B-sides and singles, the album includes three brand new songs. The signature third-wave ska-reggae sound in “Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker” with its line “The last five years went by so fast, so fast I find it strange …,”  addresses the question on everyone’s mind, where’ve you been?



For Bosstones fans, Medium Rare has a little less energy than previous albums but is not a release to be missed, whether for songs like “Chocolate Pudding” (it comes in a cup!) or the ever-scruffy voice of Dicky Barret. A little less punk and a little smoother ska, new songs “This List,” “Desmond Dekker,” and “The One With the Woes All Over It,” stick true to the good old Bosstones sound. With a catchy, relaxing ska groove, Medium Rare is an album that everyone can enjoy.



Adrianne Akmajian is the KUPS loud rock music director