Say what you like about Skindred, but you have to credit them with two things.
First, they can write songs catchier than the flu. Second, they have complete mastery of their craft. Both are in evidence all over “You Got This”, a record that understands exactly what Skindred are for. They are here to raise spirits, flatten barriers, make crowds bounce, and remind everyone that heavy music does not have to be miserable to matter.
The title track is exactly the type of feelgood anthem they have made their own. It is huge, bright, defiant and built with the confidence of a band who know precisely how to turn positivity into something that feels powerful rather than trite.
“Can I Get A” is proper pop music, and there is no shame in that at all. Borrowing the tune from Paul Young’s “Love Of The Common People”, it turns something familiar into something unmistakably Skindred. That has always been part of their trick: they can take whatever they fancy, throw it into the machine, and have it come out sounding like nobody else.
“Born Fe Dis” makes the point even more forcefully. Benji Webbe and the boys are not bothered about trends or any bollocks like that. They just want to sound like Skindred. It probably rocks harder than the first two just to underline the point, too. There is muscle here, but there is joy in it as well.
“This Is The Sound” is moshpit-ready, because of course it is. Skindred will always have that in their locker, and indeed that is their sound: reggae, metal, punk, rock, pop, all smashed together until resistance becomes pointless.
“Broke” leans further into the reggae side of things, and if there is a song here that defines looking on the bright side, this might be it. “Glass”, meanwhile, feels like the sort of thing you could imagine coming through a soundsystem in inner-city Cardiff, but it also finds them pushing the boundaries even further than normal. They have always been braver than they get credit for.
“Big Em Up” is where the positivity becomes the point. A bit like Massive Wagons, Skindred are always looking for the light, and when they accentuate it like this, in front of their crowd, they will be unstoppable.
“Do It Like This” has verses Dinosaur Pile-Up will probably be stealing by the weekend, but the chorus is pure Skindred: massive, direct, and designed for thousands of voices to throw back at them.
“My People” is impossible to hear without imagining it live. Webbe will command the crowd as only he can, part frontman, part preacher, part ringmaster, and all charisma.
Then “Give Thanks” calls for a PMA over a summery tune, and that rather sums Skindred up. God knows there is enough hate in this world, but I believe very strongly that the real world is not reflected by the news. Most people, it seems to me, are kind and decent.
This record is for them. To the decent people: you got this.
RATING 8//10
