Whether you like it or not, ska is back. If you don’t like it, you should probably revisit the genre since it’s probably been at least a decade since you’ve played the original THPS, and the ska has come a long way since the AFV theme song got a makeover for its Tom Bergeron era. Ska ensemble (en-ska-mble?) We Are the Union have been in it for the long haul—repping the black-and-white plaid since the mid-2000s—making the recent renaissance the ideal time to drop Ordinary Life, a record that merges early-’00s pop-punk sounds with more contemporary, ska-friendly groups.
The record was also announced alongside vocalist Reade Wolcott coming out as a trans woman, revealing that the record deals heavily with the experience of removing herself from her past. The latest single they’re revealing, though, deals with considerably lighter subject matter—“Make It Easy” is a breezy, upbeat tune marked by handclaps, trombone (obviously), and lyrics about a crush. “‘Make It Easy’ is a saccharin sweet track about having a crush on a friend and being unsure if those feelings are reciprocated,” Wolcott confirms. “Unlike the rest of Ordinary Life, it’s not part of a bigger theme. It’s just a simple, cute, queer-as-fuck love song, and a celebration of queer love in general.”
The single arrives with a video which, despite the track’s lyrics referring to the distinct color palettes of Wes Anderson, recalls the late-’90s fad of high school Shakespeare adaptations. Watch that below—and keep an eye out for a copy of In Defense of Ska.
