The Offspring
Let The Bad Times Roll

Well yes, I'm still around.

I've always considered the Offspring to be a notch above all the other groups of the second punk wave of the 90s (which wasn't that punk anyway) to which they are often associated. Sure, their discography lacks particular evolutions or more complex albums (in the style of “American Idiot” by Green Day, for example) but what they did, they always did well, often better than others. A fairly personal Rock with punk elements and sometimes pop, especially when it comes to singles, without falling too much into the sappy style of Blink 182, just to continue making comparisons with their schoolmates.

There weren't just the "big singles" though; within the album, the listener could find more intense and/or quality tracks that, along with interesting lyrics, always kept the level high during their best period composed of 6 albums, from “Ignition” in '92 to the underrated “Splinter” (2003). After that, there began a progressive decline and we found ourselves with two albums (“Rise and Fall” and “Days Go By”) split in half: One part to throw away and one valid part, though in the last one, a further deterioration was noticeable that continues with this latest effort.

The Californians return after a whopping 9 years, presenting themselves without the historic bassist and co-founder Greg K (frontman Dexter and guitarist Noodles are the only two original members left) and with only 33 minutes of which: 2 useless interludes (what the hell is the final “Lullaby”?), “Coming for You” which had already been around since 2015 as a single and a rendition of their great classic “Gone Away” which we didn't need, also because even though with a voice perfect for the band's sound, Dexter Holland is not exactly the type for a piano-voice song. What's left of the remaining (few) minutes? Short songs with weak verses that rely entirely on choruses and refrains such as the terrible eponymous single (it's been a while since they've also lost the ability to make successful catchy singles), without particular shifts or surprises, also because the more they step out of their classic territory the more damage they do, as happens with the swing-pop “We Never Have Sex Anymore” (which had already been around since 2018 even with a music video). It would be useful to do a track by track review because we're faced once again with an album of highs and lows, but I'll limit myself to saying that towards the end when all hopes seemed lost, they remind us that they still have the skill with “Hassan Chop” and “The Opioid Diaries” which, along with “Coming for You”, join the triad of the only songs truly worthy of note. The others worth saving are “Behind Your Walls,” “Breaking These Bones,” and “This Is Not Utopia,” decent but nothing special, adding to it all the classic compressed and flat production of Bob Rock and in the end one wonders what's worse between this and the predecessor that at least closed with 2 songs worthy of a Greatest Hits. It's sad to face what is probably their worst album, from an otherwise valid band often underrated under the label “Those pop-punk guys from the 90s,” but this time the part to discard has surpassed the good one offering us only 5 songs and it's really too little, barely passable but with more difficulty than usual. It would have been more dignified to release an EP instead of an album evidently put together with patchy fillers here and there, which was not necessary to publish. In short, if you're not their fans, the golden era to look at, I've told you.

5/10

Tracklist:

01. This Is Not Utopia

02. Let The Bad Times Roll

03. Behind Your Walls

04. Army of One

05. Breaking These Bones

06. Coming For You

07. We Never Have Sex Anymore

08. In The Hall of the Mountain King

09. The Opioid Diaries

10. Hassan Chop

11. Gone Away

12. Lullaby