It’s been a decade in the making, but The Offspring just released their 10th album, “Let the Bad Times Roll.”
Offspring fans get the seriousness and humor in their music, as well as the irony of this album.
Formed in Garden Grove in 1984, The Offspring is best known for uber hits like “Want You Bad,” “Gone Away,” “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem,” “You’re Gonna Go Far Kid,” “Gotta Get Away,” “The Kids Aren’t Alright,” “Bad Habit,” and let’s not forget their movie soundtrack to “Sharknado!”
This band has done it all. They’ve hit all the peaks and valleys throughout their distinguished career.
It’s hard to believe it was over a year ago when we spoke with both Noodles and Dexter about their then-untitled project. Both guys were so excited, they couldn’t wait to have it out. They felt it was a throwback to their roots in more ways than one.
That’s the thing about The Offspring; their music has always had a feel their fans could relate to. After all, their lyrics said, “If you could only read my mind, you would know that things between us ain’t right!” Those are the kind of words that people from all walks of life can relate to, and just one of the reasons they have endeared themselves to music fans of all genres worldwide.
PHOTO BY GREEN-EYED BLONDE PHOTOGRAPHY
With all that’s been going on in the world and in our own backyard, their music is what we need, and their music speaks truth to power. In our last chat with front-man Dexter Holland, he said that the pandemic would be one of our greatest challenges, but truthfully, it’s how we treat each other that may define the last 24-36 months. Holland seemed to have a crystal ball and he told us his predictions about the pandemic and the social distortion of the brotherhood of man that would be challenging even in 2021.
“Let the Bad Times Roll” is perfectly titled for this band. They’ve always been one of those bands that tell it like it is. They’re like Bad Religion in the vein, and they will support the right causes and give the middle finger to the wrong ones. Reason # 101 their fans love them.
The title track “Let the Bad Times Roll” hit the airwaves hard, and their fans loved it. Now, “This is Not Utopia,” is out and getting the same kind of positive response and good traction among the radio juggernauts and all broadcasters in between.
Look, the band has had its challenges the past few years. A lawsuit and changes in bandmates didn’t derail them. Luckily for this group, they’ve toured off and on – in fact, more on than off – over their careers and that allows them to find their way back, no matter how much time they have off. The Offspring today remains an electric sonic experience with Dexter (vocals / guitar) and Noodles (guitar) joined by Todd Morse (bass) and Pete Parada (drums).
The last time we spoke with Noodles, the guys were finishing up the album, and even then, a release date wasn’t set. When asked about a targeted release date, he said, “It’s just about done, but we have to give it some TLC, we want to make sure it’s great, not good, great! To do that, it needs the amount of time it needs to make that happen. We’ll know when we know about the release.”
PHOTO BY GREEN-EYED BLONDE PHOTOGRAPHY
Luckily for us, they took their time and did it right. Their songs have a universal soul we can all relate to. It’s an upbeat album with great hooks and it’s exactly what we’ve been waiting for.
So when will we see them live again? Like the album release, only time will tell. When the guys know the time is right, they will scream about it. For now, it’s time to enjoy new music from The Offspring.
