Let The Bad Times Roll. The Offspring

"Come on sugar let the good times ro - oo --oll". This sentence from The Jimi Hendrix Experience's rendition of 'Come On, Part 1' (is there a part 2?), is edged on my mind from puberty onwards. The Offspring's new album's title is all the more interesting because of the negative to Jimi's joyous song.

It was nine years since The Offspring released a record, so you find them exactly once on this blog, in its earliest days. At best a lukewarm reception it was of 'Days Go By'. Perhaps Dexter Holland's thoughts already were on his phd study that is now finished. So after Brian May and the guy from The Descendents we have another phd graduate in (punk)rock.

Let The Bad Times Roll is an excellent album. Let me come out for the album straight away. It sounds inspired and effort has been put into it to get the best out of the songs. In the very first song 'This Is Not Utopia', the band goes for it and does not relent along the way.

The Offspring is often seen as a pastiche band, something not to be taken too seriously. This is short-selling the band considerably. The fact that it does like a good gimmick in some of its songs, is not the same as not being good. The band has managed to stretch punkrock considerably. Not unlike Green Day has done, both bands are around about as long and broke big in the same period, mid 90s. Where Green Day managed to go onwards to stadiums and headlines, The Offspring remained behind in the mid section of venues.

Come 2021 it is too late to change this position as hits for both bands are something that lies behind them, fans are ageing. It is the more surprising that The Offspring delivers such an inspired album in 2021. The band clearly wants to score a point or two after having been away for nine years; and does. The music is tight. The rhythm section closes in on each other to give the songs the drive they need. They are powerful anthems. Not singing along is simply not an option.

The single, 'We Never Have Sex Anymore' is of the gimmick kind, with mariachi horns in there. (See the singles post of this week.) Without a doubt it is great fun. The punkified classic anthem 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King' by Edvard Grieg from 'Peer Gynt', is another such gimmick. There was one song I recognised, a ballad, piano driven at that. What is this? I thought Spotify had changed albums. Of course it's a song from the band itself in a new version. It was on 'Ixnay On The Hombre' album from 1997. Where does time go? It's almost like a flag on a pigsty. All the loud, great punk tracks and then this piano ballad. A beautiful song, but what does it do here?, I'm inclined to think. What it does show, is that a good song remains a good song in whatever setting. 'Gone Away' happens to be a great song. The album then ends with a punk lullaby.

To close up. To everyone who is or once was a fan of The Offspring. 2021 is not 1994 and the days of 'Smash' will never return, but that said, Let The Bad Time Roll is an incredible good and strong album. The Offspring is in great form.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Let The Bad Times Roll here:

https://theoffspring.bandcamp.com/album/let-the-bad-times-roll

or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g