Jar - Rolling Dice (N-Gage Productions)

Behind the controls were Florian Strober of The Steadytones, Tobias Voges and Franz Griess, with mixing and mastering handled by Umberto Echo.

The band was formed by a group of friends who regularly met at a local café, with the name Jar simply referencing the informal English term for a pint of beer. Drummer Raphael Mäder adds: “Nowadays, we like to think of it as a vessel that holds all the memories of the musical experiences we’ve shared over the years, as well as our shared love for the many different styles of Jamaican music.”.

Not every track on ‘Rolling Dice’ managed to win us over - at times, it leans a bit too safe - but highlights include the dubby title track, the ska-infused ‘Sugar Man’ (an upbeat breakup tune), the laid-back rocksteady vibes of ‘Reggae Fever’, the spooky early reggae tones of ‘Night Ride To Eldoret’ (referring to the experiences of keyboardist Daniel Häberli, who had the ride of his life in Kenya, traveling through the night in a matatu minibus with a driver under the influence of khat), and ‘Bangarang’, which strongly echoes the repertoire of The Steadytones.

For once, the two concluding dubs are far from mere bonus material; Umberto Echo’s reworkings of ‘Rolling Dice’ and ‘You & I’ stand out as some of the best moments on the album.

Solid and enjoyable release from a band still finding its footing, but one we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on.