Space Monkey Mafia

From somewhere deep within the hydrogen-rich nebula, NGC 2174, a new take on high-powered, horn-driven rock has emerged: Space Monkey Mafia. Founded in 2016, the six-piece band is rooted in the best parts of '90s/'00s ska and punk, infused with a healthy dose of contemporary influence, and combined with a lyrical urgency and message to meet the moment.

In the time of social media campaigns and playlist placements, Space Monkey Mafia gained their fanbase the old-fashioned way - by winning them over one show at a time. Quickly earning a reputation for their energetic and danceable live performances, the band showed an immediate eagerness to get in the van and bring their music to as many ears as possible. Logging over 250 shows in 20 states in their first few years of existence, the band worked every mid-size city, festival, and college town they could find within a 7-hour radius of the Twin Cities. Space Monkey Mafia’s first album, Sorry For Your Time, arrived in March 2018 and that fall the band took their first foray out to the West Coast. The band followed it up with 2019’s Captain Crook EP, which featured songwriting contributions from every member.

After hunkering down during the pandemic, the band returned with a vengeance in summer 2021, selling out their first show back. 2022 saw the release of Space Monkey Mafia’s second album, Banned From California, via Snowglobe Records, which the band followed up with a tour of the Midwest and Rocky Mountains. With the next batch of anti-establishment anthems and self-care bangers already being compiled, Space Monkey Mafia looks to the horizon, ready to keep audiences skanking and hollering for years to come.