Riddim Method

At first listen, it’s easy to write off Pepper as just another poor man’s Sublime, but aging bodies in Volcom gear who sing about pot can be deceiving. Southern California’s catchy Hawaiian import has more than a decade of experience at making white kids feel like they know exactly what Bob Marley was talking about.

Pepper’s latest album, Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations, is heavy with the dub-reggae-pop sound the band is known for, but it also shows a willingness to experiment with ’60s soul vocals on tunes like “Davey Jones Locker” and ’80s West Coast punk riffs on “Blackout.” Crude stereotypes aside, listening to Pepper makes you feel good . . . or maybe it’s that Hawaiian kush.