Reel Big Fish to Reissue Classic Album Turn the Radio Off

Ska-punk veterans Reel Big Fish have announced plans to re-release their classic 1996 album Turn the Radio Off, giving fans a new opportunity to revisit one of the band’s most beloved records. The reissue celebrates the enduring legacy of the album, which helped define the third-wave ska boom of the late 1990s.

Originally released in August 1996 on Mojo Records, Turn the Radio Off became the Huntington Beach band’s breakthrough record. The album introduced many listeners to the group’s signature mix of ska rhythms, punk energy, and sarcastic humor. It also produced the band’s biggest hit, “Sell Out,” which received heavy radio play and MTV rotation during the height of the ska revival.

Over the years, Turn the Radio Off has remained one of the most influential albums of the ska-punk era and has even earned gold certification in the United States. Many of its tracks—including fan favorites like “Beer” and “She Has a Girlfriend Now”—have become staples of the band’s live shows.

The album’s tracklist also includes several songs that were originally recorded for Reel Big Fish’s earlier independent release Everything Sucks but were re-recorded and refined for the major-label album.

Reel Big Fish formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1991 and quickly became one of the defining bands of the third-wave ska movement alongside groups like No Doubt, Sublime, and Less Than Jake. Although the mainstream ska boom eventually faded, the band has maintained a strong cult following and continues to tour and release music independently.

The upcoming re-release of Turn the Radio Off will give longtime fans and newer listeners alike another chance to experience the album that helped cement Reel Big Fish’s place in ska-punk history.