With an upbeat energy and tone of empowered perseverance, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' 11th studio album, 2021's When God Was Great, works as both a celebration of the Boston group's ska-punk roots and a defiant call for unity in a troubled time. Co-produced by the band's longtime collaborator Ted Hutt (Dropkick Murphys, the Gaslight Anthem) and Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong (Transplants, Jimmy Cliff), the album finds singer Dicky Barrett and the rest of the Bosstones recapturing the bold, anthemic sound of their early work while also pushing themselves in engaging new directions. Still central to the group's sound is their ability to mix punchy horn parts, crunchy electric guitar riffs, and hooky pop choruses. It's a sound they maximize on "The Killing of Georgie (Part III)," which is both a nod to Rod Stewart's classic 1976 song "The Killing of Georgie (Part I & II)" (about the murder of a gay man) and the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. It also finds the gruff-voiced Barrett repurposing Greek author Aeschylus' quote "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." That they set all of this against a driving glitter-ska beat speaks to the ambitious nature of the record.
Other '70s rock accents pop up throughout, as on the Billy Joel-esque piano intro to the title track and the twangy pedal steel accents of "Certain Things." There's a vintage album-era vibe to When God Was Great that feels as if the band have crafted a low-key concept album inspired by their time growing up in Boston, going to punk shows to escape the Catholic constraints of their homes, and, finally, finding a way reclaim the positivity and D.I.Y. activism of their youth in the face of growing awareness of social injustice. Without a doubt, the crown jewel of the record is the all-star ska-punk cavalcade that is the eight-minute album closer, "The Final Parade," as the Bosstones are joined by members of the Interrupters, Stiff Little Fingers, the Toasters, Fishbone, the Specials, and many more. They all take turns at the mic, detailing a list of Kurt Weill-esque characters who represent the unwavering, inclusive spirit of ska. While there are certainly deep notions at play on When God Was Great, the Bosstones are just as concerned with getting your body moving as they are with getting you thinking. As Barrett and his buddies sing on "The Final Parade," "We'd play around with a punk rock reggae sound, 'cuz sometimes dancing's all you got."