Pokemon Sun and Moon have been out for a couple weeks now, so it seems like the perfect time to talk about the game a bit. We’ll be doing a full review on the podcast in next Thursday’s episode, but let’s do some quick spoiler-free stuff here first.

The first time you’re introduced to Team Skull, they look ridiculous, they sound ridiculous and they are ridiculous. No, really — even if you like them (and admittedly, I’m coming around on them), their first appearance is a train wreck. The grunts spend the early parts of Sun/Moon spitting terrible bars and constantly making hand gestures, even when they’re just walking around.

There’s something endearing about these lovable losers. Maybe it’s their commitment to being the most ludicrous people on the planet. I don’t know. But I think part of what started to turn me in their favor was their trio of battle themes — especially when you listen to them on actual speakers and not whatever produces noise from a 3DS. (Hamsters? I’m guessing tiny hamsters.)

As the Pokemon series has advanced through the years, each new title introduces a new team and gives them unique music for their evil organization. The more recent titles also have a cool progression from low-level enemies up to the big bad boss, and Sun/Moon is no exception. Check out how it works in the three videos below — the bass is real throughout, but the tone gets more serious by the time Guzma shows up.

Music to My Ears covers soundtracks or individual songs from video games. You can view all posts in the series by clicking here.