Staying true to the high-energy early reggae music with which they’ve been dazzling fans for almost 25 years, The Aggrolites have released their seventh studio album, the aptly titled Super Atomic. The latest release from the Los Angeles group features 11 original tracks including four instrumentals, with the band continuing to draw inspiration from a narrow era of late 60s/early 70s Jamaican music while adding soulful Motown vibes to create their trademark “Dirty Reggae” sound.

While Super Atomic follows the same formula the band has mostly stuck with throughout the years, the new LP has a slightly different tone compared to their previous album, 2019’s Reggae Now. Keyboard player from day one, Roger Rivas, who produces The Aggros and other artists, said the album was recorded at his studio in Los Angeles, “the same way I have been recording music for some time now – first on an 8-Track half-inch tape machine, then mixed on a Toft board with random outboard gear.” Nevertheless, he acknowledged these minor nuances in sound and explained how they can manifest: “There is a definite shift. It can be everything from my tastes changing on mic placements and mic choice all the way to how hot the day is, which makes the analog equipment act different.”

Rivas expanded on this, relating what his years of experience have taught him: “When I was younger, I think I was hung up on achieving a ‘set sound’ in the studio. You quickly find that there is no set ANYTHING in music – especially in an analog environment. No two sessions are the same.”

“I have learned to embrace shifts and change,” he continued. “It’s mostly just flowing with the sounds that are given to you that day and not trying to micromanage every little texture. The music starts losing life to some extent if you don’t embrace its organic, initial form. Over time, you learn to trust your intuition in the studio and just roll with it.”

Rivas stated that, in his opinion, the number one goal of any song should be to trigger emotion. “Move the listener,” he said. “The production should complement and help achieve that goal.”

According to Rivas, all of the bandmembers of The Aggrolites have their own studios and, as a band that has had some changes to their lineup over the years, “have always been fortunate in having musicians that understand the world of recording and production. We know what we want to achieve sonically and how to get to the finish line. Keeping it simple and letting the music speak for itself.”

And speak for itself does – right out of the gate – with the rudeboy anthem “Live by the Code.” Lead singer Jesse Wagner uses spoken word delivery to tell the tale of a neighborhood bloke, “half legend, half warning” with “fists made of stone” who “controlled the block with a heart so bold.”

As the story goes, the man had a son who he taught “respect is worth more than gold,” yet “Power ain’t in the fist you’d think to throw…it’s only in the loyalty that the real ones know.”

Wagner has an amazing voice that can go from a roar to a croon, so it begs the question whether using spoken-word vocals rather than singing had been a creative decision or if the vocals just naturally came out that way, perhaps driven by the music or the story-telling nature of the lyrics. The other question this song triggered was whether it was inspired by a real person or if it was just a sketch of a character.

“It was a conscious choice to rock the spoken word flavor,” Rivas confirmed, noting that “Spill the Wine” by War, whom he and Wagner are big fans of, had a big influence on the track.

As for the tune’s character inspiration, Rivas revealed it has a “little bit of both;” it was written about a “homie” of theirs and his son. “We live in a word where men aren’t the same ‘men’ they used to be back in the day,” Rivas commented. “Some important principles that most of our grandfathers lived by get lost in the current sauce. We touch on all that in the song. Tipping our hats to the dudes that raise their boys into becoming solid men.”

After “Live by the Code,” The Aggros present “Boots on the Terrace,” essentially an easy rocking instrumental, although the song does feature the band spiritedly singing in unison, albeit without lyrics.  According to Rivas, the vocals are inspired by football (soccer) chants that fans would holler. “This style of early reggae instrumental was mostly popular (and birthed) from the ‘skinhead reggae’ era of music. For anybody who has never heard the genre or that term, I encourage a deep dive. Wikipedia does a great job mapping out the story. There is a close connection with Skinheads and the sport as well. Tons of info on the association out there on the interwebs.”

Next, “Duck Pon Pond,” with lyrics sung in patois, pays tribute to people who exhibit a pleasant countenance while toiling through the slog of life, its breezy tone symbolically belying the struggle that it depicts. “This tune was inspired by all the Jamaican groups of the late 60s era,” Rivas commented, referring to The Pioneers as a strong example of this style. He also credits Wagner, who penned the lyrics, with doing a “great job in capturing the vibe that many songs of this era have. Catchy and carefree, but rough and tough.”

Sound-wise, “Duck Pon Pond”  has big Expanders‘ vibes due to their co-founder/lead singer, Devin Morrison (aka Man Like Devin), who is a close friend of Rivas,  singing on the track. (Morrison also formerly served as editor of Rootfire.net and, along with Rivas, co-hosted the Rootfire-sponsored podcast, The Reggae Podclash – worth a deep dive, check it out!)

The fourth song on Super Atomic, “31 Atlas,” an instrumental jaunt that my wife deemed “killer” as she danced around a Vegas hotel room, kicks off with a spooky spoken-word growl:

Not all ships sail pon water…

Some call it ROCK!!

Some call it…carrier!

Rivas explained the line and the choice for the title: “We named the song after the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, which was making headlines on the day we recorded the instrumental track. It was only the third known object from outside our solar system ever observed passing through, so there was a lot of excitement around it. As often happens with unusual space events, some people speculated that it might be alien technology, but astronomers concluded it was a natural comet. We loved the mystery and imagination surrounding the story.”

He continued, “Naming an instrumental after a current event is also a classic reggae tradition.  Bands like The Skatalites and The Upsetters did this all the time. So, calling the tune ‘3I Atlas’ was our way of honoring that tradition while capturing a moment in time.”

Speaking of naming instrumental songs, the keyboardist/producer shared that he has an ongoing list of names, words, and titles that he jots down. “Over time, they seem to pile up just in time for either an Aggrolites album or a solo album of mine where song titles are needed – which is great because instrumental songs don’t necessarily scream any given title.”

Along those lines, the album ends with an instrumental track called, “Happiness,” a curious choice for a song that starts out foreboding and remains kind of subdued for an Aggrolites song, even despite Rivas’s magic fingers.   “I wanted to name that song ‘Happiness’ particularly because I loved the way certain song titles venture off from what the feel of the song gives,” Rivas admitted. “A great, great example of this is The Skatalites song, ‘Smiling.’ It’s a banger of a minor chord tune in front of the toughest burru-style drumming done by the great Llyod Knibb. Such a rub with that title and the way it made me feel initially. ‘Happiness’ was a play off that.”

The tone of the ironically named album closer contrasts the other instrumentals on the album, such as the title track, “Super Atomic,” which will have listeners bouncing around the room, and “Run Come Reggae,” a joyful romp that serves as a vehicle for Rivas’ organ wizardry and features guitarist Chris Brennan playing the whistle. Rivas said the song was influenced by the many organ-led instrumentals of Boris Gardiner, highly recommending his 1970 album titled Reggae Happening.

Rivas’ playing has always been a huge attribute of Aggrolites music, and he is known to be a collector of vintage keyboards. “Here at my studio, I have tons of keyboards,” he shared. “The majority of them are organs. Within that organ umbrella, there are several tone wheel and transistor organs from different years, each one giving its own unique sound. I nerd out on that stuff. When it comes to organs in Jamaican music, there is tons to nerd out on.”

While The Aggrolites pay heartfelt homage to the history of reggae, they don’t take themselves too seriously, and two tracks on the album are perfect examples of their sense of humor which often surfaces in their music.

The guys likely wouldn’t have written “Back Lock Tight” 20 years ago, but surely many people of a certain age can relate to this hilarious song about throwing your back out. Unfortunately, Wagner’s lyrics were inspired by a real life occurrence. “While we were recording the album, Jesse threw his back out pretty bad,” Rivas recalled. “He is in top shape now, but I remember at the time he wasn’t really able to move. He was looking for lyrical inspiration and his back said ‘Look no further bro.’  Glad it was just a phase!”

I say walk, back say “Lie there”

I wanna groove tonight,  but the back don’t care…

Cause everybody dancing, while me negotiating

One little inch I try to make, becomes two days of waiting

Doc say “Easy,” back say “Serious”

Life slow down, finally me just hearing this…

Oh Lord I used to move so fast

Now I’m learning how to stay

Used to move so free

I didn’t notice every step was a blessing every day

Can’t turn left, Can’t turn right

Morning time is such a fight

Sock on foot, Take a break

Tie my shoe, And the whole world shake…

But I’m laughing, yes I’m laughing

Through the pain, through the shame

‘Cause the body got a voice

And today It call the game

So hold me steady, hold me still

Teach me patience, keep me chill

When me dancing once again

I’ll be thankful for every bend

The Aggrolites flex their funny bones again on “Loud Loud Love,” the melody of which is reminiscent of Eric Donaldson’s iconic 1971 tune, “Cherry Oh Baby,” which rose to prominence again in the 1980s when British reggae band UB40 covered it on their Labour of Love tribute album.  As the title suggests, the song describes a passionate relationship between two people who express themselves voluminously when they have gripes with each other.  Once again, this song seems highly relatable, especially to anyone who’s been in a lengthy romantic relationship or marriage.

Hailey Bailey, cool your temper down

Everyone can hear you shout across the town

They think I broke your heart or worse, I fled

But all I did was wear my dirty socks to bed…

Loud loud love, so the neighbors know

Two wild hearts putting on a show

Loud loud love, both fierce and true

Every shout is sayin,’ “I love you”

Perhaps no song on this LP contributes to the Atomic energy more than the lead single, “’Til the Wheels Fall Off,” a heater about, according to Wagner as he stated in the band’s press release, “commitment – to the grind, to the music, to the vision. It’s all gas, no brakes. It’s a ride-or-die anthem. Keep going, no matter what.”

Finally, “Musical Muse” takes the cake as the sweetest tune on Super Atomic as well as the song most conducive to singing along with. The band slows the pace down while still remaining upbeat, and Wagner really belts out that soulful singing that place the Aggros in the upper echelon of reggae bands. The chorus brings to mind The Melodians’ 1969 nugget, “Sweet Sensation,” another song that happened to be covered by UB40 on Labour of Love. For this track, Wagner gives thanks to his muse – a person, force, or idealized state of mind that inspires creative art.

Speaking on behalf of his good friend and musical partner of many years, Rivas commented, “I think as we get older, especially if we are still on ‘the grind,’ time gets taken away from us more and more…Time, we use to spend being able to nurture a song, or any art, for that matter. You start to greatly appreciate the moments when a song, melody or concept just jumps out of you -when God’s divine touch intercedes. I think me and him both know when we are ‘in the zone,’ especially when it comes to writing together for The Aggrolites. We can tell when something is mediocre or doesn’t turn us on. We always said we have a Lennon/McCartney thing going. Well, not on that level, but more in terms of a songwriting relationship – knowing each other’s full potential, knowing how to build off each other’s contributions.”

He continued, “I’ve been fortunate to perform, jam, and compose with TONS of musicians over the years. I am mad grateful for that, and in all those years, I still haven’t met a songwriter like Jesse. Someone who can effortlessly give birth to a great composition the way he does. He makes songwriting look easy.”

Finally, Rivas summed up, “Of course, everything in songwriting is a direct domino effect of the last piece. Everything is owed and all starts with the full band recording and vibing together in the same room. This is especially true for reggae music. When the band is crushing and can move a listener with just pure sound, then you are on your way to great cut. The poetry will just take it to the next level.”