I love Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. The majority of the games in that series invoke a strong, comforting nostalgia in me; shredding gnar combos with Eric Koston through an almost dystopian New Jersey neighborhood is a lot like being home. So when I heard that an up-and-coming punk band (double bonus for me — with its inclusion of acts like Hot Water Music, Alkaline Trio and Bad Religion, Underground was actually what got me hooked on punk) made a song and video about adolescent skating, both real and virtual, I was in.
Even better that the band was Pkew Pkew Pkew (which is actually pronounced “gunshots,” to make things a bit easier), the Canadian foursome who specialize in a bombastic, joyous indie/punk hybrid that their Canuck comrades in Japandroids properly named on the title of their sophomore release, Celebration Rock. With its nonstop gang vocals and PUP-esque riff, “Mid 20’s Skateboarder” is the kind of song you wish you had when you were a kid, stumbling and spilling your way through ollies and kickflips in your friend’s basement.
But you get it as an adult, so feel free to spin it the next time you get a few beers deep and plug in your old N64. Just put “Superman” on mute and play Pkew Pkew Pkew’s “Mid 20’s Skateboarder” on repeat instead.