Believe it or not, Something To Do has been active since way back in 2003. Arguably even more impressive than the Milwaukee-Madison ska-punk project’s longevity are both the volume and the quality of the output the long-running band is still able to manage as it nears the quarter-century mark. Instead of just leaning on its extensive back catalog and just turning up for festivals or lucrative ska-centric support slots, Something To Do plays out frequently and is continually crafting new music (that’s oftentimes accompanied by ambitious and fun music videos).
Something To Do’s story will continue when the prolific group offers up yet another album next month. In advance of the release of A Little Misdirection—the follow up to the 2024 full-length Here Comes The Panic—on October 9, the band is putting out some singles. Last month, “Hocus Pocus Brain” kicked things off in energetic fashion with a flurry of horns, upstrokes, and full-band chants. The pre-album promotion continues today with another rock-solid S2D single.
Unlike its brassy and boisterous predecessor, “I Only Notice The Beat” leads with squealing, intricate guitars and propulsive percussion that intermingle with singer Nate Tredinnick’s tight and catchy vocals. Eventually, the horn section and the infectious harmonic hook (“beat, beat, beat, beat”) make their presence known as well. While Tredinnick joking tells Milwaukee Record the song “manages to rip off both The Knack and Huey Lewis,” it’s patently a Something To Do track that also touches new territory the outfit somehow hadn’t encountered during its 20-plus-year run.
Before the song’s official release on Friday, September 11 (the same day the band will headline a Swabfest! benefit for Punk Rock Saves Lives at Anodyne Coffee in Walker’s Point), you can listen to “I Only Notice The Beat” below.
More words.