The Offspring

Let The Bad Times Roll

---

Genre: Punk, Pop Punk.
Released: 16/04/2021
Via Concord Records

Album Review: The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll

Punk legends The Offsprings are back after 9 long years. The excitement around ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ has been on full display from fans of the band. A lot of bands from that era of punk have either disbanded or struggled to adapt to the modern wave of punk so I can’t wait to see if The Offspring are able to do what many have failed to do. So without any further delay, here are my thoughts on The Offspring’s ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’.

‘This Is Not Utopia’ has the honour of being the first song on the first album since 2012, and it’s a decent song. You can tell the band have grown up and the clearest example of that is the way Dexter Hollands voice sounds. The whiney, adolescent voice has been replaced with a more brash and aged vocal delivery which doesn’t have the same effect, unfortunately. Thankfully, the instrumental is still there and from Noodle’s power chord riffs to Pete Parada’s syncopated beats, The punk sound is still alive and kicking within The Offspring. Following that is the title track ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ which is unfortunately just ok. The song is very repetitive and really doesn’t come across as an Offspring track. Really unfortunate!

Luckily, ‘Behind Your Walls’ is a much better entry. An energetic number that just works. I have to say that the cowbell is a nice touch to the track. Not to mention how smooth the bass line is from Todd Morse throughout this track. It manages to give the song a nice bounce and allows the track to be a lot tighter and complete. Continuing the high energy, ‘Army Of One’ picks up the pass however it still falls a bit flat. Nothing stands out and the track wouldn’t sound out of place in a generic pop-punk playlist. A real lack of excitement and almost uninspired chord progressions leave the song feeling flat and dull.

‘Breaking These Bones’ manages to pull through with its anthemic like chorus and engaging progressions scattered throughout the song. Dexter sounds a lot clearer and passionate on this track and that has made a huge difference in the enjoyability of the track. Unfortunately, the same cant be said about ‘Coming For You’. I think the use of a more electric sounding kit is criminal and really takes away from the raw and lively feeling you get from 90’s punk rock. The band have tried to modernise their sound in this track and it just doesn’t work well.

The last single to release from the new album is ‘We Never Have Sex Anymore’ and I feel like this is a perfect example of how the band have changed. Gone are the days of parting and skating. They have now settled down and their main worry is that their relationship has become stale and sexless. The song sounds far from anything you’d expect from the band but it actually kinda works. That would explain why it’s had over 1 million streams on Spotify already! This one is definitely worth a spin and while you at it, give ‘In The Hall Of The Mountain King’ a whirl. It’s a minute of instrumental that just keeps getting quicker. That’s all.

Something about ‘The Opioid Diaries’ doesn’t sit right with me. The drumming at the beginning sounds slightly out of time which has really caught me off guard and the song itself just feels like one of those cheesy Guitar Hero covers from the earlier games. This is far from prime Offspring material however ‘Hassan Chop’ is much closer to that than its predecessor. The level of charisma and oomph in this track goes unrivalled from anything else on this album. In my opinion, this is by far the best track on the album!

The penultimate track is ‘Gone Away’. A very different sounding track featuring pianos and an angelic string section. Dexter’s vocals have certainly become a lot more fine-tuned over the years and this song is a great way of highlighting that. This song will certainly miss the mark with a lot of Offspring fans however, I think the song is bliss to listen to! ‘Lullaby’ closes the album following the more mellow and melodic style of ‘Gone Away’. It’s a very short number however it gets the job done and leaves the album feeling complete in the end.

‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ is far from the bands best work, and the lack of teenage angst and aggression really shows. The album has its highs however after a 9-year wait, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. It’s hard for a band that thrived off youth and what was the in thing at the time to thrive nearly 30 years later and unfortunately, The Offspring couldn’t quite break the mould.