Lots of bands talk about going back to their roots.

But for Florida ska-rockers Less Than Jake, their most recent return trip was more than just a figure of speech.

For their eighth studio album -- and the first on their own label -- the fun-loving party-punks didn't just draw inspiration from their hometown of Gainesville, Fla.; they named the record after it.

"It just made sense," explains saxophonist Peter (J.R.) Wasilewski of the title for the band's new disc, GNV FLA. "We started out in Gainesville, back when we didn't have a label or anything, and everything just kind of happened from there. Now we're starting our own label and -- if you want to say -- starting over again. So it made total sense to name it after Gainesville, because this is a total restart for us."

Though the first two tracks (City of Gainesville and The State of Florida) suggest some kind of concept album/travelogue hybrid, Wasilewski informs us the record wasn't named until after all the songs were completed.

But he agrees the concept of home helped give birth to some of the themes on the album, just as the creative energy spawned by Gainesville's fluctuating population has helped give birth to musical brethren like Bo Diddley, Against Me! and Tom Petty.

"It's a crazy town, because it's a college town," says Wasilewski, who hails from Connecticut, but has hung his hat in Gainesville since joining the band eight years ago. "So there's always this new group of kids coming in each year ... and a new influx of music and creativity and excitement coming through."

Neither Wasilewski nor his bandmates think too highly of Florida-born acts who leave town, then try to pass themselves off as being from New York or L.A., noting the revisionist histories can be seen as a desperate bid for status.

"We never cared for status. We weren't in it for fame, we were just in it for fun," he says. "No offence, but I don't care what music writers think of me, and I don't care what reviewers have to say about our albums. Until you walk a mile in someone's shoes, you should just shut up and be stoked you're listening to the record for free."

Having seen the music industry from both sides (he's also done managerial duties), Wasilewski is just as candid about the state of the music industry.

"It's totally f---ed," he says. "It doesn't matter what genre you're listening to, everyone sounds like everyone else."

That said, Wasilewski and the rest of the Less Than Jake team -- who play the Garrick Centre this Tuesday with longtime pals Reel Big Fish -- are grateful for the 16-year career they've been able to hang on to amid all the industry homogenization.

"We're all constantly in amazement that people still show up," he says. "We just try to put all the bulls--- aside and put on the best show we can. And if we don't do that, we've failed ourselves even more than the fans. But trying to re-invent ourselves? No. We're still the same five dudes we've been for years. We're not very good looking, we're kind of old and we're kind of fat. But we'll go on stage and kill it. Because that's what we love to do."