Album Review: Hands Off! by Jet8 and The Shifty Grifts

I first became aware of Czech skacore band Jet8 in 2019 when they made the trip to South London for Level Up Festival. I instantly became a fan of the band following their high energy performance. After that performance I made the extra effort to keep up with what the band were up to. In 2020 they released the incredible Chasing The High album. Now, in 2021, they’re back again with a new split EP with a band I wasn’t previously aware of named The Shifty Grifts – who are also a skacore band from Prague. I’ve said countless times on CPRW how much of a fan I am of split releases, they are such a great way to discover new bands. The split EP is titled Hands Off! and features two new Jet8 songs, two new The Shifty Grifts songs and a collaboration between the two bands.

Jet8 kick the EP off with their song Sixty Pounds. As I’ve come to expect from the band, the track starts with pounding drums, a shredding guitar and a big horn line. This creates so much energy from the outset. It’s not long before Martin’s powerful vocals come in which brings the intensity to the song. The song is about fighting to live your own life the way you want to despite the powers that be trying to hold you down. The breakdown that then leads to the big finale is classic Jet8. Their second song is titled Rise Up. This is another song about being your own person and fighting for what you believe in. Jet8 do these songs so well and this is another fantastic example of that. The track starts off in a very horn heavy manor which really caught my attention and then saxophonist Daniela takes a turn on lead vocals. This was a nice surprise and added a fantastic extra element to the band’s sound. Jet8 are fantastic at writing ferocious choruses that will have a crowd shouting them back at the band with real passion.

The first of The Shifty Grifts songs is titled Kill The Rich. This was my first time listening to the band and I was instantly in love with them. The band are more than happy to jump between melodic punk rock to bouncy ska and even a bit of reggae on the song, showing they have no borders when it comes to their songwriting. Kill The Rich starts with some real intensity before switching to some upbeat ska that will get everyone skanking and then jumping to a more high octane chorus. This is one of those songs that has so much going on and will leave you breathless. The theme of the song follows what Jet8 were also singing about – standing up for yourself and not getting downtrodden by folk who believe they are better than you. Next is The Hunger, The Rent, The Hate. This sees The Shifty Grifts showcase some crack rocksteady in their sound. Once again, the song looks at being downtrodden by “the man”. In this particular case, they sing about how the hardest workers are the ones on less pay and are struggling to make ends meet just so the people with the most money can make more of it. This is a song I really relate to a lot.

The final song, Keeping Me Sane, sees both bands team up. This is such a cool way to finish the split and I wish more bands would do the same. This is an upbeat ska song that gives thanks to the music that helps you find your way through life. There’s a really upbeat and positive feeling to the whole song and it had me smiling throughout. I’m a sucker for easter eggs in songs and there are plenty sprinkled throughout the lyrics that I loved picking out. I really want to hear this song live at some point, with both bands performing it.

Hands Off! is a superb EP. Easily one of my favourites of the year. It shows off two brilliant bands from Prague and it has me wondering what the rest of the Czech scene is like. There has been a lot of talk about the ska scene “returning” in recent months and these are two bands you definitely shouldn’t be sleeping on.

Stream and download Hands Off! on Bandcamp here.

Like Jet8 on Facebook here. And like The Shifty Grifts here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.