NoFX
Punk In Drublic

THE REVIEW

Being one of the most regarded and, why not, famous groups of the international punk scene, I would have expected several reviews on the album in question, and instead, to my surprise, only one appears on the site; I'm talking about NOFX.

This "Punk In Drublic," an anagram of "Drunk in public," is certainly what brought the band of Fat Mike and company to international success. The Californian band is a master at mixing fast tracks with ska digressions, developed especially with the help of the trumpet played by El Hefe (although not always well).

Musically speaking, this work comes two years after the last full-length "White Trash Two Heebs And A Bean"; essentially, the style remains the same, but the sonic digressions change. Indeed, if in the previous work the "collateral" sounds were mainly represented by jazz and swing, here ska and reggae return.

The lyrics, as always, concern political and social themes often treated with irony and revelry. "Don't call me white" stands out for sure, where the frontman invites not to judge people by their skin color and not to have racial prejudices. The songs, 17 in total, remain at acceptable levels, even if there are several lapses in style. But let's go into detail.

The start is launched and fast with " Linoleum," while the following "Leave it alone," superior to the first, adds a bit of melody to the lyrics; the same structure is found in "The cause," one of the best on the album. "Dig" is a punk track with pronounced ska elements complete with El Hefe's trumpet, reminiscent of " Bob," a track from the previous album. Let's skip "Don't call me white," as it is surely the band's most famous track that everyone knows, which I don't particularly like, however, and arrive at the unusual reggae-tinged "My heart is yearning" sung in a lyrical tone by Michele Grasso.

The combo returns aggressive and hits hard in "Perfect government," a cover of Mark Curry, complete with a solo, and what I consider one of the most beautiful of their career "Dying degree." A highly underrated track, very fast-paced, made sharp by precise and clear guitar riffs, and complemented by a splendid solo. I would like to see NOFX more often on this same wavelength. In the middle, there's the negligible "The quass," an instrumental piece, and the song full of Oi! tones and choruses "The brews." In the second part, however, strangely enough, all the weak tracks are placed, starting from the anonymous "Fleas" to the concluding acoustic song played with only guitars and vocals by the frontman, which adds nothing, "Scavenger type."

The most important thing, which I believe no one has particularly highlighted, is often the total absence of choruses in many songs, an aspect that may be intriguing on one hand but is certainly a weak point of the band's compositions in the long run, listening to the final tracks, for instance. To be clear, the sound of the band, apart from the early albums that showcased a more aggressive and hard sound, has always stood out for its nonchalance and melody, a factor that makes many people turn up their noses. But keep in mind that NOFX, despite their easy proposal, do not indulge in purely commercial sounds.

An album that is still good, with great hits alternating with very negligible tracks and at times filler content. Not the best punk album of the '90s as some claim, but certainly one of the best works in their long discography.