Tragic Kingdom is the third album from Anaheim rock band, No Doubt. During the 1990s, the ska and ska punk genre was really successful with bands including them, Sublime, and Less Than Jake being the biggest names in the genre. The genre really peaked in the mid-to-late 90s, with this record being the best selling ska punk album of the decade, and Sublime’s 1996 self-titled album also being successful, as it was the band’s major label debut and the last one to feature their lead singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell, as he died of a heroin overdose before the album. Still I’ll go into depth more on that record in a future review. As for Tragic Kingdom, it was released on October 10th, 1995, so it reaches its 30th anniversary later this year. The band consists of lead vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. This record was also the last album to feature Gwen’s older brother, Eric Stefani on piano/keyboards. Nearly 30 years later, how does this album hold up?

    Starting off the record, we have one of my favorite tracks, “Spiderwebs,” which is actually one of the band’s most popular tracks in their discography. It mixes the genres of ska punk and pop rock together flawlessly, and the guitar riffs on this track are so fun and sunny. The track is about a guy who was calling Gwen constantly to read his bad poetry to her, completely oblivious to the fact that she hated them. I first heard this track as a kid playing the video game, Guitar Hero, and to this day it still remains one of my favorite tracks from the band. The horns and saxophones add a lot of flair to the song as well. “Excuse Me Mr.,” has more of a traditional ska punk sound to it, as the lyrics are about a girl who wants to be noticed by a guy she likes, even though she knows deep down that its hopeless. “Just A Girl,” is another track off the record with an iconic guitar riff and lyrics that stress female empowerment. The lyrics are delivered are in a sarcastic tone, as Gwen is ridiculing male society for rushing to assume that all women need protection from everything, when they’re perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. It’s a very strong single on the record and along with “Spiderwebs,” it’s one of the best ska punk songs of the decade for sure. “Happy Now?,” is a pop-punk style breakup track which is pretty basic thematically, but I find it to be one of No Doubt’s more underrated singles. “Different People,” is one of my favorite tracks on the record that isn’t a single as I love the ska guitars, horns, and organs incorporated on it, and the guitar solo from Dumont is a highlight as well.

    “Hey You!,” is a track criticizing the stereotypical expectations of relationships from some women, where they have expectations of marriage when things are going well, only to be disappointed. The sitar at the end is a cool touch. “The Climb,” covers the journey of reaching fame and success. It’s a solid track, but at 6 minutes and 39 seconds it’s a bit unnecessarily long, so it’s not one of my favorites. “Sixteen,” is an incredibly relatable song, as Gwen sings about the bittersweet feelings of graduating high school and leaving the past behind, in the process. Instrumentally, the backdrop sounds melancholy, which suits the track well. “Sunday Morning,” is another breakup song which is actually directed at her ex, who is the bassist of the band, which makes it a bit odd considering Gwen calls him a “parasite,” in the bridge of the track. “Don’t Speak,” is another favorite of mine, and is one of the band’s most well-known tracks. It’s a heartfelt breakup song which has a much more somber tone. It’s simple, and like it can be argued that the heartbreak theme is a bit tiring, but the drastic mood shift of this track compared to the other relationship-themed songs make it fresh and exciting for me. And you can hear the emotion in Gwen’s voice, as she’s talking about the guy (Kanal) who she had dated for seven years and had known since high school. Given this, it’s a lot more understandable that a lot of the songs are about that relationship. “You Can Do It,” is pretty much a motivational song that’s encouraging a depressed person to put in the work to get back to a happier and healthier version of themselves. While I like the upbeat nature of the song, it doesn’t completely fit with the mostly ska sound of the album, therefore it’s another one of my least favorites. “World Go ‘Round,” is another strong cut, with themes of environmentalism and a groovy reggae infused feel to it, and “End It On This,” is a powerful, emotional track that speaks from the perspective of a woman angered by her partner being addicted to substances and therefore, unable to be a part of the relationship. Anyone who has been in a relationship with an addict can relate to this track which makes it feel all the more real. The final song, “Tragic Kingdom,” has one of the most interesting concepts for a rock song that I’ve heard in a while, and it makes total sense that the band did a song about Disneyland considering they’re from Anaheim. It’s a play on words on the nickname for the park, “Magic Kingdom,” as Gwen sings about how the theme park was once a magical place that over time became worse for a variety of different factors. I love how lyrically descriptive the lyrics are as they lament how a place that was designed originally to be an affordable and fun place for families has become ridiculously expensive, the company’s greed when it comes to expanding more and more throughout Anaheim, pushing out local businesses in the process, and mismanagement of the park. A strong closer to a solid album.

     It’s not surprising as to why Tragic Kingdom is considered to be one of the strongest albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the best ska punk albums of all time. The songs are catchy, thematically unique (even when there’s a little too many love-themed tracks), well-written, and instrumentally fun and engaging. In my opinion, this album isn’t as strong as Sublime’s biggest albums, 40oz. To Freedom of 1992, and their self-titled album of 1996, but at the same time I’m a bit biased as a Long Beach native. Still, it would be a disservice to deny this album’s impact back then and the influence it had on future ska, punk, and pop artists following it. Some of the lyrical themes can feel a bit same-y at times, but the singles from this thing are memorable, and there’s quite a few overlooked gems on this thing as well. So, overall, not flawless, but a great record nonetheless.

Overall Score: 8/10

Favorite Tracks: “Spiderwebs,” “Just A Girl,” “Don’t Speak,” “Sunday Morning,” “Different People,” “Happy Now?,”

Least Favorite Tracks: “You Can Do It,” “The Climb,”

Listen: https://youtu.be/6ZktNItwexo?si=tBFnlaLwoPLcxypI

Genres: Ska Punk/Pop Punk/Alternative Rock/Pop Rock