I'm not entirely sure why ska—punk gets a bad rap these days. I've always been down with a little ska thrown into my punk rock every now and then. However, I can proudly admit I've never gone as far as wearing a goofy top hat or baggy purple overalls to see a matinee show. Perhaps the majority of the ska—punk fans of years past can't make that same admission, so those memories involving a whacky beanie or green hair have been buried somewhere in a grave of experimental teenaged fashion shame. Kill Lincoln are a ska—punk band from Washington D.C. who won't rekindle your desire to break out a neon orange necktie, but who should remind you that straight—up punk rock with a little ska flavoring can work well. After their self—released debut You Were There made some noise in 2011, the band got their sophomore effort That's Cool… In A Totally Negative and Destructive Way picked up by Jump Start Records in 2013.

The formula for That's Cool… is pretty straight forward— fast riffs, pounding beats, gang vocals and the occasional melody from the horn section. The songs have great energy and keep my attention on every listen. The production is crisp and clear. The guitars stay heavy and distorted almost the entire time leaving little room for any traditional, clean—channel ska riffing. Standout tracks "Wait, Wait, Repeat" and "Brick" really shine through as the winners on the album and the cover of "Hand Grenade" by The Movielife is a nice touch that shows how bands don't always have to cover The Misfits. Most of the lyrics focus on daily life and aren't overly serious (i.e. "Dad Fight!") which fits the style well. It's hard to pick on any shortcomings really, but at 10 tracks (the first is simply "Intro") I think it could use one or two more to beef things up.

It may also lack some originality. If you hid the cover from me and told me I was listening to the new album by carbon—copy contemporaries We Are The Union I wouldn't argue with you for a second. But generally speaking, this is a solid release that would sit well with anyone who can enjoy Strung Out and Less Than Jake on the same mix tape.

The message to be taken here is That's Cool… has the potential to help wipe away any shameful memories of ska—related fashion crimes while steadily holding its own in any modern punk rock record collection.