London-based four-piece The Skints have worked their way up from the depths of the underground punk/ska scene to become a unique force on the global reggae stage. With influences from soul, pop, grime and hardcore, their original brand of “Tropical Punk” has developed into one of the hardest working and most respected bands in British music.

The band’s new single, “Learning to Swim,” released January 18th via Mr Bongo worldwide and Easy Star in North America, combines the tenderness of Lovers Rock, the catchiness of pop with the urgency of hardcore punk to create a unique sound that promises future stardom. Few British bands mix different musical genres with so much freedom, fun and inventiveness, while singer Marcia Richards’ philosophical and personal lyrics strike an emotional chord.

“For those who have lost a loved one, it is not uncommon to find comfort in the fact that you have spent more time in your life with them than without them. After using this little comfort to keep me afloat for 13 years, 2019 will be the first year that the number of years without my sister Roanna exceeds the years she was here. As I became more and more aware of this day approaching and my lifeboat sinking, I wrote ‘Learning to Swim’, a song that musically jumps through time and space,” she says.

“The innocent Lovers Rock expresses both my current musical performance and the memories of my childhood, which are becoming more and more distant. The chorus has no words, but switches to an era of punk and pop music that my sister was very interested in. Just as my mind is so often transported back to this precious time, so does the song.” She adds, “The feeling that it is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine her face, to hear her voice. The rest of your life without her stretches out before you like a vast ocean – it’s time for swimming lessons.”

The Skints were formed in 2007 during their school days and come from the London boroughs of Waltham Forest and Redbridge in north-east London. They earned their spurs in the London underground punk scene before venturing out of the M25 area to play their first self-booked DIY project and embark on a grueling tour of the nation’s “toilet venue” scene.

The debut album “Live, Breathe, Build, Believe”, released at the end of 2009, received late night/specialist rotation on the radio, including BBC Radio 1’s Punk Show, while 2012’s “Part & Parcel” was the band’s second full album, further expanding their fan base and opening doors to extensive tours, festivals and markets outside the UK and across Europe. The follow-up album, the critically acclaimed “FM”, released in 2015, reached number 5 on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart and number 7 on the Independent Albums Chart in the UK and led to The Skints touring the US, Canada and Japan relentlessly.

Since the band’s formation, The Skints have toured extensively around the world, playing hundreds of shows and festivals, including Summerjam (Germany), Dour Festival (Belgium), California Roots (USA) and ReggaeSunSka (France). In the UK, The Skints sold out their last 10-date UK tour, including the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, Bestival, Glastonbury and Boomtown Festival in front of 15,000 fans. In addition, the band has supported bands such as NOFX, Less Than Jake, Mariachi El Bronx, Gym Class Heroes, Protoje, You Me At Six, Sublime with Rome and Easy Star All Stars.

The Skints’ supporters include Jonathan Ross of BBC Radio 2, Robert Elms of BBC Radio London, Steve Lamaq and Craig Charles of BBC Radio 6 Music and David Rodigan of BBC Radio 1Xtra.

Mr Bongo is an independent record label based in Brighton and home to Hollie Cook, Protoje, Seu Jorge, Prince Fatty, Incredible Bongo Band, Jorge Ben and more.