The Offspring

[W Axl Rose]

http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/music/news/blog/listen-the-offsprings-new-song-days-go-by/20120430-g71h.html

Tracklisting:
The Future Is Now
Secrets from the Underground
Days Go By
Turning Into You
Hurting As One
Cruising California (Bumpin' In My Trunk)
All I Have Left Is You
OC Guns
Dirty Magic
I Wanna Secret Family (With You)
Dividing By Zero
Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing And Rides The Bomb To Hell

[Space Suicide]

Heard the new single on the radio, wasn't impressed. Americana was the only album I ever enjoyed anything off of and that was a meager 2 to 3 songs at most. Haven't really listened in years, not really my thing. I find Holland's vocals to be bad most of the time; don't care for his voice or his style of flow.

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

New single is meh... Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace could have been really really good, but it pretty much flops after track 4. Americana all the way.

[Wolfkiller]

Pre-Americana Offspring was so good. It pains me to hear crap like this being released.

[poinoup]

"Days Go By" sounds a lot like the Foo Fighters' "Times Like These" to me.

[ManBurning]

Yeah, "days go by" is pure crap.

Obviously the Offspring have changed their sound signifigantly since their glory punk days, and it's without a doubt that some of their earlier material from SMASH and IXNAY are the best they've done, but I felt really good things from this band when Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace came out. I thought that was the best album they did since Americana. I actually stopped listeneing to them after Americana because they got all super-pop radio friendly with crap like "Hit That" and "Original Prankster".

But yeah, after hearing Rise and Fall, I actually fell in love with this band again, and thought they were on the road for a really good comeback. Then I heard "Days Go By" and that just reminds me of the pop-crap they were doing in the early to mid 2000's. I mean, it is a single, and it's supposed to cater to the general public as much as possible, so I will still hold out a little bit of hope that there are 1 or 2 really good classic Offspring sounding songs on the new record.

My faviourte song from rise and fall was "Stuff is Messed up" I just love the way how he literally pokes fun tounge and cheek style that the whole world is obsessed with complete rubbish, and that's what makes the world go round these days, finding out the latest celebrity trends, and it's disgusting.

ALSO: way to recycle song names. When I saw that tracklisting I could have sworn they already had a song named "Dirty Magic" But I just brushed it asside and thought I was going crazy... But i'm not! It was bugging me so much, I took a look, and yeah they already have a song named "Dirty Magic" on their album Ignition

Wow, so at this stage in their career, they had to create a song named after another song... good going Dexter. I'm already unimpressed. Unless it's a remake of that song... hmm... Dirty Magic 2012 version?

[aggroculture]

Offspring have some good pop songs. And some fucking terrible ones. I've never warmed to the way this band rips off other bands without batting an eyelid (Get A Job=The Beatles Obla Di Obla Da).
But then they turn around and knock one out the park (Hit That is awesome).
Smash always seemed a total Nirvana rip-off to me. I never understood who the millions of people buying that record were. Or Dookie, for that matter.

[Kid Charlemagne]

Offspring have always kind of sucked. This new song is no different. In middle school I did like Americana and Conspiracy of One, but I can't listen to those any longer, haven't even bothered with the last two records they've put out and "Days Go By" ain't no different, sounds like a shitty late 90's call and response douchebag song.

[Reznor2112]

I always liked Gone Away but that California Crusin song is awful

[thevoid99]

Offspring have some good pop songs. And some fucking terrible ones. I've never warmed to the way this band rips off other bands without batting an eyelid (Get A Job=The Beatles Obla Di Obla Da).
But then they turn around and knock one out the park (Hit That is awesome).
Smash always seemed a total Nirvana rip-off to me. I never understood who the millions of people buying that record were. Or Dookie, for that matter.

I much preferred Dookie than Smash. Looking back at it now, that whole punk revival was silly. Punk has now become too wimpy for my taste. I started disliking the Offspring because of that "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" song. My sister played that song to death and it annoyed the fuck out of me.

[Leviathant]

When I played in a shitty punk band for a few years, I found I really had a penchant for fast, fast music, but I couldn't put my finger on why. I came across Smash a few years ago, and it all made sense. That was actually the second CD I owned (The 1st was the soundtrack to the Ninja Turtles movie. Yup.), a gift for my 15th birthday from a friend on the local BBS. I forgot how high tempo all those tracks were. I discovered Nine Inch Nails later that year, and fell away from anything else on the radio, listening to NIN and going to local punk shows. I never bought another Offspring album, but Smash happened at just the right time for me, and holds a special spot in my heart.

It's hokey at points, juvenile at others, but there weren't any gimmicks at that point. Yeah, "Come Out and Play" stood out on that album as being different, but it wasn't goofy for the sake of being goofy. There's some seriously angsty shit on that CD though, when you're 15 years old.

I haven't much paid attention to Offspring after that album though. I don't know if I can blame the guys for following the smell of money and making obvious radio-grab songs on all their follow-up albums. If Robert Rodriguez does Spy Kids to finance things like Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Sin City, I'm not going to hold that against him.

Green Day was probably the overall better band of the two - because boy was it Green Day vs Offspring back then - but Offspring was, to me, more 'punk'. You're never going to hear about a Broadway Musical based on an Offspring album.

If you think "punk" now is wimpy, you've lost the trail - you're not listening to punk.

[Kid Charlemagne]

Green Day and Offspring seem to have played the same purpose for the past 15 years as gateways to punk music. I used to fuck with Green Day in middle and high school, but through them I started listening to older punk bands who Billie and the gang would namedrop in interviews, pretty sure Offspring fans did the same thing. You won't catch me listening to either band these days, but I suppose they played a part in my development. At least when Green Day evolved they wrote some fine pop songs, evident on American Idiot which was the best and worst thing to happen to that band. Green Day are now in RHCP/Coldplay/U2 territory as huge acts who will continue to live off the goodwill of their back catalog and sell out arenas for the rest of their careers. Offspring...well, keep fighting the good fight. Seems to be the consensus that after Smash, nobody gave a shit about them.

Levi, can't imagine you in a punk band!

[allegro]

As a punk from the 70s and having been to Max's Kansas City in 1979 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max's_Kansas_City#Max.27s_II) (muahaha), one might expect me to come in here and slag these bands as not being Real Punk or whatever.

But I'm not gonna. It's fun punk

And what was more fucking fun than the RAMONES? Or even THE STOOGES? Come on, that was FUN!! They had an album called FUN HOUSE!

OR THE DICKIES? Jesus H. Christ, if you don't know the Dickies, you don't know punk. The Dickies were FUN!

Anyway, yeah, the Offspring has some catchy tunes for sure. (Green Day, too!)

[Kid Charlemagne]

You know who's not fun? The band Fun.

[allegro]

Anyway, back on topic, if you're gonna talk punk, you gotta reference the Ramones (FUN!) and they had songs that lasted, like, 30 seconds each. Ever see them in their heyday? No? 40 songs in one hour, no shit. And it was FUN! Ain't nothing more "wimpy" than fun.

Fast songs is prototype punk which evolved into a whole lot of other stuff. But, every band / artist has its day in the sun and then the sun fades. That's life in the music biz. Not to be all Deepak Choprah or whatever, but it's pretty hard to keep on churning out hits when the audience's tastes keep changing and maybe you only had 5 good hits in you, anyway, that's all of your creative capabilities. Very few music artists are Mozart for Christ sake.

I don't know dick about the Offspring beyond Smash so I'm not trolling, I'm just putting my 2 cents in as an Old Punk Rock Girl. Punk was a bunch of losers with instruments they didn't know how to play, hanging out in NYC and doing drugs and having fun playing music with two chords. So sitting around talking about the merits of an alleged "punk" album or punk being wimpy or not defeats its original purpose, ya dig?

[Kid Charlemagne]

"Fast" and "Fun" doesn't always equate to great music. I dig The Ramones, but in the end, a good majority of their songs follow a similar formula. I like The Stooges, but I ffel they had more substance in the fact that there were elements of proto-metal, and even psych-rock in their music.

I'm sure The Offspring have some good tunes they've written since Smash, but judging by the two songs I've heard off this album as well as what I used to listen to in middle school and their singles, I hardly see anything in them that says that they've remotely evolved as a band. Still songs with smart aleck tones, irony, us against the world mentality, and lost youth.

[allegro]

proto-metal and psych-rock. I'm sure that'd be really amusing to the Stooges. Whatever the fuck it means. "Great" music is a relative term, and punk (or the Stooges) never set out to be "great."

Ultimately, a band's gotta pay the bills and make a living, and the Offspring appears to be no exception. We have a 400-page Manson thread if you wanna talk about artists repeating a formula. At some point, the artist / band has to venture into new territory (and piss off a bunch of fans) or stay in the same territory (and bore a bunch of everybody) so it's apparently a no-win situation.

"Gateway to punk" implies, to me, that this is the watered-down version but wait till you get to the hard stuff, like pot being a gateway to heroin (according to Ronald Reagan).

[Kid Charlemagne]

I honestly think you're just disagreeing with me just to disagree but whatever.

If you listen to The Stooges, there's elements of metal in them in the same way that bands like Sabbath and Zeppelin utilized to make careers out of, not saying they're a metal band or even responsible for it, but I do think they were an extremely heavy band as well as "the" punk band at the time. I also think there's several songs (Death Trip, Dirt, Fun House, 1970, and We Will Fail) specifically that showcase a psychadellic side to the band as well. I'm not saying The Stooges never set out to be great, hadn't even implied that, but the reason I think they're great is because they were doing a shit load of genre bending (whether they knew it or not) and still made their music cohesive and seemingly timeless. I'm sure it wasn't their intention because they seemed like a bunch of guys who just did whatever they wanted, but not just for their time, but now I think they're an extraordinary band for what they are.

Punk never meant to be great and most bands couldn't give a shit to what some 23 year old has to say about it as a whole, but there are legitimately great bands to come out of the punk scene even though it was and is the furthest thing from their mind.

The thing with The Offspring is they lack any desire it seems. All the fans who were coping up everything up until Americana grew older and out of that phase and the band didn't. Hell, they may have regressed, but it doesn't hurt to change a little. I'll use the Green Day example again, where they decided to make a "rock-opera" and along with their punk vibe, wrote some pop songs, ballads, and and even a few rock songs and actually made a good album until the majority of those songs got played to death, give me about five years and I'm sure I'll still have an appreciation for it. The Offspring go in and do the same thing seemingly and that's why they get ridiculed by former fans and people who haven't given a shit about them in over a decade. Sure a band has to pay some bills, but I'm willing to bet these guys don't have to worry too much about money considering they've always had a consistently strong fanbase. Yeah, it's a no-win situation, but I can at least respect a band for trying even if their music sucks.

And yeah I said these bands were a gateway to punk music, so fucking what? I'm sure you'll find plenty of kinds in their 20's and near 30's that bought shit like Dookie and Smash and loved those albums and found "real" or other punk bands becuase their first exposure was these bands (now it seems to have morphed into a Warped Tour state, but I won't begin to get into that). Do you honestly think kids just pick up copies of Fun House or Nevermind the Bollocks when they're eight or nine? No, they probably latch on to these pop-punk bands and develop from there.

I may not have the same punk aesthetic you did, considering you grew up with the scene in its infant stages, but the scene has changed quite a bit since then, and while I'm sure some of the mainstay ideas are still there, it's probably not nearly as the same as you'd like it to be, but it's fine. I mean, we can at least accept and respect a little bit of change, for better or worse right?

[Gray Grimez]

If you you're using american idiot as a reference for the way punk bands should go you're obviously quite young, I mean to me greenday were already past their peak by then, It may have made shitloads of money but creatively speaking I think warning is as far as they're ever really going to go, writing a poppy ballard isn't experimenting its going hey i'm in my late 30s/40s and i'm still fucking broke, let's see if we can actually make some real money off this thing. Because the more time you spend in the music industry the more you realise, there are so few bands that ever really make money off what they do.

[aggroculture]

NOFX, now that's a fun punk band.

[Sutekh]

Green Day have always been appalling... Offspring have a few good songs

I never really liked the whole 90s US punk thing... it just sounds like ninja turtles going to the skate park on a sunny day... too bright & breezy, I thought punk was about alienation, anger... Leftover Crack is proper punk in my book, as well as the classic 77 and HC bands. Also Refused were/are great

I think I was the only person that liked Amen? classified as metal by a lot of people, but to me it sounded like a poppy version of Refused with a Henry Rollins soundalike on vocals

[coolguy]

http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/music/news/blog/listen-the-offsprings-new-song-days-go-by/20120430-g71h.html

Tracklisting:
The Future Is Now
Secrets from the Underground
Days Go By
Turning Into You
Hurting As One
Cruising California (Bumpin' In My Trunk)
All I Have Left Is You
OC Guns
Dirty Magic
I Wanna Secret Family (With You)
Dividing By Zero
Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing And Rides The Bomb To Hell

Isn't it a sin in the GnR universe to be a fan of The Offspring??

[kdrcraig]

Haven't heard the single but I'll give the new record a shot, Rage and Grace had a few quality songs on it but the rest was pretty much crap. I saw them the summer after that album released and they played "Kristy are you doing ok?", I couldn't fucking believe it, that is one of the worst songs on that album and they chose to play it. Made no sense. Most of their stuff since Americana has been pretty iffy, I quite liked Splinter but Conspiracy of One was pretty shitty. Smash and Ixnay are two of my favorite albums to this day.


ALSO: way to recycle song names. When I saw that tracklisting I could have sworn they already had a song named "Dirty Magic" But I just brushed it asside and thought I was going crazy... But i'm not! It was bugging me so much, I took a look, and yeah they already have a song named "Dirty Magic" on their album Ignition

That is pretty ridiculous. Dirty Magic is a pretty awesome song, I guess they're just figuring that nobody even remembers Ignition, or it is just a remake of it which would be ridiculous in itself.

[Kid Charlemagne]

If you you're using american idiot as a reference for the way punk bands should go you're obviously quite young, I mean to me greenday were already past their peak by then, It may have made shitloads of money but creatively speaking I think warning is as far as they're ever really going to go, writing a poppy ballard isn't experimenting its going hey i'm in my late 30s/40s and i'm still fucking broke, let's see if we can actually make some real money off this thing. Because the more time you spend in the music industry the more you realise, there are so few bands that ever really make money off what they do.In no way am I even seeing that Green Day should be a benchmark for what punk should be, in fact that's the furthest they should be. As far as these two bands go, linked by their time in the limelight, I applaud Green Day's effort to branch out a little and I feel that their career hasn't stalled nearly as much as The Offspring who've been doing the same damn thing for fifteen years.

Money or not, does it even matter? I thought punk rock was against making money hand over fist? Be that as it may, neither band shares this idea whatsoever.

[Gray Grimez]

No i don't think punk rock was ever against making money, seeing as the sex pistol's was one of the biggest bits of deliberate design to MAKE money. Not to mention most of the original UK punks were poor, many of them squatters, they may have been talking about being anti-money etc but much was said for shock value, not to mention many of them were very young shoved in front of interviewers trying to get them to say inflammatory things. Most of them would have dreamed of making a living off touring even just an escape especially in england where they were going through a recession, with widespread rioting and striking (If we're talking first generation punks)

[allegro]

^I didn't mean to facepalm that post, I couldn't see my iPhone without my glasses.

Punk was never intentionally "about" any particular theme, the "alienation and anger" was something else, like maybe post hardcore or whatever the fuck other catchy marketing tag that the label dicks dreamed up at the time.

Edit: Contrary to popular belief, Fugazi and straight edge isn't "punk.". Bad Brains was something that developed later into that Black Flag hardcore which is when I'd lost interest (all that beating the shit out of each other on the dance floor was too testosterone-driven for me, and slam-dancing in the old days was fun and didnt hurt). Fugazi came after that, and I think that's when the Ian "we don't want to make money" thing came in. I mean, the Ramones and the Dictators would've loved to get money.

[The Doctor]

Man, when Smash came out in middle school, that was nuts. Offspring was everywhere. I was even in the Offspring camp in the Vs. Greenday debate. I got into them, bought the earlier albums, loved Ixnay, was impressed that their major label debut was so punk. Americana was poppier but still great. "Pay The Man" was awesome in its own way, strange epic long song. I even enjoyed Conspiracy of One, thought it had some great tracks. I lost interest after that. "Hit That" seemed awful to my ears.

Like many here, Rage & Grace showed potential to make a comeback. Some pop garbage, but also some great promise of relevancy and spark. I haven't heard the new song but now I'm afraid to. And yes, recycling Ignition song "Dirty Magic" is a strange as hell choice. Remember when they remade "Beheaded" for the Idle Hands soundtrack? More polished sure, but nowhere as good as the original from their first album (self-titled).

[Sutekh]

Can't stand Green Day but American Idiot is the only album of theirs I can tolerate... because it's very slick & catchy, it's like they finally cut the crap and just admitted they're an aspirant arena rock anthems outfit, and the sound benefited from the lack of pretenses to maintain (that and a stolen johnny cash melody)

My mrs is horrified by all this btw

[W Axl Rose]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAlZyajmcIM

Hey ho, let's go

(Go go go! ) turn up the beat, yeah
(Oh oh oh! ) I wanna feel it
(California) don't you wish that you could come
Cause we're never going home till the summer's all gone

Summer time, living's easy
Cruising, bumping, my huntington beach
Cause the sun will shine
We have a good time
They all line up for a bump and grind

And the girl that you want is directly out in front
And she's waving her caboose at you
You sneeze achoo
She calls you out and boom!

I know you heard that bass bumpin' in my trunk
Bum-bumpin' in my trunk, bum-bumpin' in my trunk (oh yeah)
I know you heard that bass bumpin' in my trunk (uh huh)
Bum-bumpin' in my trunk (uh huh), bum-bumpin' in my trunk (let's go)
(Go go go! ) turn up the beat, yeah
(Oh oh oh! ) I wanna feel it
(California) don't you wish that you could come
Cause we're never going home till the summer's all gone

The sun goes down, the friepit's leep
It's another summer night here in the oc
Well I know a baller but I do have an impala
And I might say 'hey' but I'll never say 'holla'
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/o/offspring/cruising+california_21017674.html ]
The girl with the glass and a g-string just like a floss
Well she's waving her caboose at you
I bet you do
She calls you out (uh huh)

I know you heard that bass bumpin' in my trunk (uh huh)
Bum-bumpin' in my trunk (uh huh), bum-bumpin' in my trunk (bump that truck)
I know you heard that bass bumpin' in my trunk (uh huh)
Bum-bumpin' in my trunk (uh huh) bum-bumpin' in my trunk (let's go)

(Go go go! ) turn up the beat, yeah
(Oh oh oh! ) I wanna feel it
(California) don't you wish that you could come
With the radio on, plays it all summer long

(Go go go! ) you're all I'm breakin'
(Oh oh oh! ) my friends are drinkin'
(California) don't you wish that you could come
Cause we're never going home till the summer's all gone

(California)
(California)

I know you heard that bass bumpin' in my trunk (uh huh)
Bum-bumpin' in my trunk (uh huh), bum-bumpin' in my trunk (hey ho, let's
Go)

(Go go go! ) turn up the beat, yeah
(Oh oh oh! ) I wanna feel it
(California) don't you wish that you could come
With the radio on, plays it all summer long

(Go go go! ) you're all I'm breakin'
(Oh oh oh! ) my friends are drinkin'
(California) don't you wish that you could come
Cause we're never going home till the summer's all gone

(California) don't you wish that you could come
Cause we're never going home till the summer's all gone

[Space Suicide]

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/o/offspring/cruising+california_21017674.html ]
The girl with the glass and a g-string just like a floss
Well she's waving her caboose at you
I bet you do
She calls you out (uh huh)

Best part!

[Frozen Beach]

My sister is in love with this band, utterly obsessed. The only positive thing I can say about these guys is that the leader singer's hot sauce is great.

[jmtd]

Dirty magic is (was) an awesome song. If it's a rerecording then great. They talked about "vultures" on conspiracy of one being similar when promoting that album but it sucked.

smash and ixnay are great. pay the man from Americana is an offcut from ixnay and worth adding. Their cover of agent orange's bloodstains is fantastic.

[october_midnight]

Pretty apparent that this guy's blatantly trolling the board at this point, I can't be the only one seeing it.

As for the new single, holy crap. Of course if you read the comments by the fanboys, you know they're all about 'IT'S A PARODY, YOU JUST DON'T GET IT.' They fail to realize however that this is the same group that wrote the song 'Bad Habit'. If they were always like this, or kinda like this...big deal. But Ignition and Smash were solid. Fucking. Albums. Sure, kinda lame in a high schoolish kinda way but fuck it, I was in junior high and they were catchy. I never even really considered them 'punk'...I always look to Black Flag and the other type of stuff to be more punk than the schoolyard stuff like NOFX, Lagwagon, yada yada...but you can't deny the Offspring's older material wasn't still solid. Now it's just laughable in one of the most obvious cash grabs I can even think of...

[BlueCalx]

As for the new single, holy crap. Of course if you read the comments by the fanboys, you know they're all about 'IT'S A PARODY, YOU JUST DON'T GET IT.' They fail to realize however that this is the same group that wrote the song 'Bad Habit'. If they were always like this, or kinda like this...big deal. But Ignition and Smash were solid. Fucking. Albums. Sure, kinda lame in a high schoolish kinda way but fuck it, I was in junior high and they were catchy. I never even really considered them 'punk'...I always look to Black Flag and the other type of stuff to be more punk than the schoolyard stuff like NOFX, Lagwagon, yada yada...but you can't deny the Offspring's older material wasn't still solid. Now it's just laughable in one of the most obvious cash grabs I can even think of...

I feel really bad for these guys actually. There isn't really a lane in music for bratty pop-punk that's made by guys who look like your dad does and who, if your dad lived in Orange County during the 80s, probably went to some of the same shows as he did. They're in it for the money, that much is obvious, but I don't think they should be condemned for that. It's not like any of these dudes have marketable skills outside of music, and they've all got kids, mortgages, and looming old age to think about. I would bet money that they like their new single about as much as you do. It sucks to watch them flail about in public, out of ideas and low on interest, trying to pay the bills in an era where no one pays for music and even fewer want to pay for theirs.


Pretty apparent that this guy's blatantly trolling the board at this point, I can't be the only one seeing it.

And yeah, he totally is. Does he bug you, though? I think he's pretty harmless and sometimes even funny. On the old ETS he'd be one of those guys with a massive warning bar nearly all the way into the red below his avatar. The next time he comes around and posts some piss-take thread like the Vanilla Ice one, let's just highjack it and post about European power electronic music or, I dunno, Belle and Sebastian or Lil' Jon.

[W Axl Rose]

On June 26, the Offspring (http://spinner.com/tag/offspring) return with their ninth LP, Days Go By. In celebration of the new release, singer Dexter Holland (http://www.spinner.com/tag/DexterHolland) and guitarist Noodles offered us an exclusive track-by-track breakdown of the album. Check it out below!

"The Future Is Now"

Dexter Holland: It's about the dangers of technology. You see people on their cell phones constantly. Everybody is in the same room but no one is looking at each other or speaking. You start to think, 'Does technology really bring us together, or does it isolate us? Does it help us, or does it hurt us? Does it give us more freedom, or does it enslave us in a way?' Everyone is tied to his or her device all of the time. What technology does to us as a society is an interesting idea. It's something I want to explore more on the next record too. I decided to make an allusion to it now and put it out there as the first song on this album. We'll see where it goes.

Noodles: I love that song. It's a straightforward rock song. It's got some punk attitude for sure, but it's upbeat. There's a lot going on in it guitar-wise. There's also a great piano breakdown in the middle. It's a really dynamic song, while some of it is unadulterated aggression. It's a great opener.

"Secrets from the Underground"

Holland: One side of Days Go By is the idea that things are tough but they will get better. Another very real side of the album is that people are also getting pissed off. They feel like they've had enough. You can almost sense something in the air, whether it be the Occupy movements or the elections. People are about ready to turn the tables. It's an observation and a warning. Something's got to give or something's really going to give.

Noodles: That song reminds me of T.S.O.L. That's one band that ties us all together. We share a love of that band and all of their music for sure-until they went metal. Even then, we secretly bought those records and enjoyed them [laughs].

"Days Go By"

Holland: It tied everything together and was the most representative of what I was trying to get at. Time marches on. We have to get through life and pull ourselves up by our boot straps. No one is going to do it for you. At the same time, there's a message of hope, and I wanted that to come across. The last few years have been really tough on a lot of people. You can see it on TV or in the newspaper. The song doesn't simply say, "Let's revolt." It's about the spirit that things can get better.

Noodles: It's a mid-tempo rock song as well. Lyrically, I like the meaning behind the song. You can't listen to one song and know what this album is about. There's so much going on. It empathizes with everyone struggling in the world. It's about hanging tough. These days will go by and get better. It's a song of commiseration and hope. I hope it's something a lot of people can relate to.

"Turning Into You"

Holland: That came up quickly. We wanted to write something straightforward. The idea of trying to make your own way, do your own thing, and be your own person but feeling pressured to be somebody else or act like somebody else is a universal feeling. You could talk about it when you're in high school all the way up to the corporate world. It's about resisting it. There's an old school punk sentiment to resist the pressure of what people tell you to be or tell you to do. You're deciding for yourself what you want to be.

Noodles: It's got a drum loop which is very not punk, but it works well [laughs]. I really like that. It's a cool juxtaposition, and it adds some tension to that song. You might enjoy somebody's company, but they're really not so reciprocal. You end up trying to please somebody and all you do is end up losing yourself in a relationship. Some relationships can be toxic, and it may take a while to realize it.

"Hurting As One"

Holland: That chorus is, "Broken in two, but hurting as one." That could apply to a relationship or your country.

Noodles: It can be powerful when people unite as one voice. They're not going to go away. They're hurting as one too.

"Cruising California (Bumpin' in My Trunk)"

Holland: As I was writing this record, I realized I was writing some heavier songs, and they were a bit serious. Having some fun songs has always been a part of our band. I thought, 'I should write a couple of songs that are a little more fun and on the lighter side'. Towards the end of the album, I wrote 'Cruising California.' It's about what it'd be like if I was driving down the beach in my hometown on a nice sunny day in Southern California. I live in Huntington Beach so I thought that's what I should write about. My hometown is great, and there's a lot of fun reflected in the song. At the same time, there are some shady and seedy parts. I tried to put both of them in the lyrics. It's a great place, but there's a dark underbelly as well. Huntington Beach had some of the biggest riots in the '80s and '90s so that side of the place always existed. At the end of the day, I want people to know it's a fun, summer song. Bob told me to write about Huntington. It seems weird to write about your hometown-like you're bragging or something. He said people in the rest of the world have a different perception of California. It's like a dream place. It might be where you live, but others don't see it the way you do. You've got to have fun. It's also a good way to cope. There's a lot of silly stuff out there, and it's good to laugh and have fun with it.

Noodles: It's a silly fun and song. Some of the tracks are more serious and require more thought from the listener. This is about shaking your ass. I call these kinds of songs 'ear worms.' They stay stuck in your head and wriggle around for a few days. I wanted to call it 'Caboose.' That would've worked too.

"All I Have Left Is You"

Holland: It's a different song because we're using a lot of keyboards. The subject matter is a relationship. Relationship songs can be really dark and depressing. Or if they're romantic, they don't feel right for our band because we don't want to be cheesy. If I'm writing about a relationship, there will be two sides to it. Things aren't black and white in real life. There's always some gray area. You can be the best and worst guy in the world at the same time. You can take the song a couple of different ways. It could be that the lovers are hanging on through the storm because all they have left is each other. That's the romantic way. Or, it could be one person is hanging on even though they should be apart. You can interpret it opposite ways even though it's the same lyrics.

Noodles: There are some pretty guitar parts in it that provide a yin and yang with all that sadness.

"O.C. Guns"

Holland: That's one of the songs I built on for a long time. It came in as a reggae riff. I started playing this riff on the bass. We put a little drum to it. We were bopping our heads, and we let the thing roll. We kept going back to it. The song talks about how Orange County can be a dangerous place. I've lived here my whole life, and I've commuted up to L.A. so I've definitely been through the bad neighborhoods daily. It's dangerous, but it's fun at the same time. We thought it would be really interesting to have mariachi in there. Mariachi and reggae are very different musical styles. I never heard mariachi in a reggae song so that was a challenge. I was happy with how it turned out. It has a unique sound to it.

Noodles: It sounds like an Offspring song, but it's different. The Mariachi stuff was so fun. It was really hard to get those two musical styles to blend, but once we figured out how to get them to fit right with each other, it was great. Reggae is usually sitting on the beach kind of vibe. This song has some menace to it.

"Dirty Magic"

Holland: It's an old song. We actually recorded that for the first time on our second record Ignition. It was right before Smash. More people know about the music post-Smash than the stuff prior. It's a hardcore fan record, and the one song fans pointed to off that album is "Dirty Magic." We started putting it in our live sets, but most people weren't familiar with it. We had a tiny budget when we recorded Ignition. I think we did the whole thing in nine days. It was really rushed, and we probably did the whole song in two hours. We wanted to make it fuller and bigger and do it the way we'd always wanted it to sound.

Noodles: It was great to re-approach that. We know our way around a studio better than we did back then and we had Bob on board. I was stoked to add texture and layers to the song. A lot of old school fans ask us to play that song. That one never got its due.

[W Axl Rose]

"I Wanna Secret Family With You"

Holland: There have to be a couple of funny songs on the record. The idea of a secret family is something I've heard about. You always hear the story of a pilot who has families in different countries. The other family is his 'secret family.' It's a funny thing to sing about. In this story, it's a guy who goes into a strip club. The idea is he's so infatuated with this girl he wants to have a secret family with her. It's not a nice compliment, but the guy in the song assumes it is. I hear It happens! I saw Will Ferrell accept an award and say, "I want to thank my family, and I also want to thank my secret family." He knew about it [laughs]!

Noodles: It's got a doo wop rock 'n' roll structure that fits the vibe.

"Dividing By Zero"

Holland: "Dividing By Zero' and "Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell" both sound like one song, and that was the idea. It was intentional. Those were actually the last two we did for this record. We thought it would be cool to put two short songs together almost as if it were a short punk medley that adds up to one five minute song. That's it musically. Lyrically, it's about vengeance. It's the idea that something is coming back to you. When I read those lyrics, it sounds like a military guy on a bombing mission, someone going after Osama, or someone getting tried for fraud. The idea of vengeance in a pure adulterated way. It's an unapologetic eye for an eye. People tend to temper that, but it's about tapping into what that emotion is.

Noodles: These two songs could've been on Ignition. We might not have played them as well [laughs]. They're super fun.

"Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell"

Holland: The idea is the world's going to hell so let's have a drink and watch it burn. We started talking about Nero, and Slim Pickens came up. It's a great reference to wave the cowboy hat and ride the bomb all the way down. That became the metaphor for the song.

Noodles: The Slim Pickens reference adds a comedic tone to the song. That movie was hilarious, but it was very dark too. That's what this song is. It's a nihilistic thing, but at the same time we're making fun of the nihilists. It's not bad for 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

http://www.spinner.com/2012/06/12/the-offspring-days-go-by-track-by-track/

[ManBurning]

The sad thing is... I'm kinda excited about hearing this album from those descriptions. Sounds like there might be a few decent tracks on there.
Still up in the air about how I feel about them re-recording "Dirty Magic" but at least this confirms it is a redo and they're not just rehashing their old song titles now.

[W Axl Rose]

Days Gone By-Entire New Album-Now Streaming
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/album-premiere-the-offspring-stretch-out-on-days-go-by-20120619 (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/album-premiere-the-offspring-stretch-out-on-days-go-by-20120619)
http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/story/album-premiere-the-offspring-stretch-out-on-days-go-by-20120619/1000x600/main.jpg

On their earliest recordings, the Offspring worried about varying genres within a single album. But now, as frontman Dexter Holland tells Rolling Stone, checking in by phone from Amsterdam, the Orange County punk rockers have no problem throwing caution to the wind.
"It was a really good experience feeling like we could bring anything to the table," the singer says of the multi-year recording process that resulted in the band's diverse ninth studio release, Days Go By. "It was really cool to say 'Hey, fuck it.'"
Days Go By, due next Tuesday, retains the band's classic punk-rock vibe. But it also takes sharp left turns: album cuts veer from whiplash-punk ("Secrets from the Underground") to riff-rock ("Days Go By"), reggae ("OC Guns") and harmonized pop ("Cruising California (Bumping in My Truck)"). "I always felt like we would be bored if we had a similar style from record to record," Holland says, referencing the album's sharp contrast to the band's previous release, 2008's Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace. "We've got to mix it up just to keep it entertaining for ourselves."
One key element of Rise and Fall did carry over: the band again worked with veteran producer Bob Rock (Aerosmith, Metallica). "He's such a great producer," Holland says. "We didn't know each other before the last record, but it went really well, so we thought we'd try it again. I knew it could go one of two ways – either it's gonna get better 'cause we're more comfortable working with each other, or sometimes you get too comfortable and nobody listens to each other anymore." He pauses. "Luckily that didn't happen."
The new album, as Holland notes, allowed the band – which includes guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg "Greg K." Kriesel and its newest addition, drummer Pete Parada – to take risks while also serving as a mechanism to toast their history. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the band's sophomore release, Ignition. In addition to playing the record in its entirety at recent concerts, they also re-recorded one of its standout tracks, "Dirty Magic."
"Every time we tried to play 'Dirty Magic,' five people would jump up and down and the rest of the audience was scratching their heads," says Holland. "But it was always one of those songs that kept on coming up. We thought it was worth another look." The new version sounds far cleaner than its grimy original, a product of more time spent in the studio. "When we (originally) recorded it, it was super on-the-fly – we probably only spent, like, three hours doing the whole song," Holland explains. "This time we thought we could make it bigger and better without really changing it."
Holland doesn't mind waxing nostalgic. But as many of the lyrics on Days Go By indicate, he's also keeping his eye on the present. The title track encourages people to pick themselves up from the past few years' economic challenges, while the album's Dr. Strangelove-referencing closing track, "Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell," Holland notes, has a different mantra: "The world is going to hell, so fuck it, let's watch it burn."
The Offspring have been road-testing their new material ("I can't wait to take them everywhere," Holland says) while abroad, and the singer says the band plans to play a slew of U.S. dates this fall. Aside from basking in the positive reception of European audiences, he's begun to notice the takeover of electronic dance music while overseas. "There's a place in the world for everything," he says, chuckling. "I just have a laugh at it and go 'Right on. Whatever floats your boat.'"

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/album-premiere-the-offspring-stretch-out-on-days-go-by-20120619#ixzz1yH3SBhQw

[ManBurning]

OK folks, it's out...

Oh God am I ever disappointed! But, all in all... what did I really expect after all. I mean after hearing that cruising california and days go by singles I had a feeling this album was going to suck, but I still had some hope, as I did like their last record, I felt that was a step in the right direction, but this is just mediocre pop fluff.

The highlight of the album was beleive it or not, Dirty Magic and guess what? That's not even a new song!! They didn't even try and make it different. You know how some bands re-record the same song, but in a different style? This song is exactly the same! I mean, it sounds a little more polished and perfected, but is that neseccarily a good thing? Sometimes the raw and imperfect sound of a song is awesome... It sounded exactly the same, same exact song, almost same recording.

So that was the highlight of the album, for a minute there I actually thought I was listening to old offspring, until the song changed and I realzied it was the new crap. These guys did this as a cash grab. They're seriously all washed up. They probably figured if they re-recorded an old song, old fans would think the whole album is kind of old school sounding, but this is far from the case. The first half of the album is pure rubbish!

OK, so I found myself enjoying O.C. Guns as well. But that's because it's someting completly different from what these guys usually do. Well... kind of. I would classify this song as a mix of reggae and spanish and a theme to an 80s sitcom. It actually feels like this could be a TV theme to a 80s sitcom or a cartoon show or something, it's rather weird... but it's kinda cool, in an odd way.

The last 2 songs are probably the closest you are going to get to old school Offspring "Punk" on this album. They are fast and short songs. Dividing By Zero and
Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell. Those songs are made for the old fans, they are quick, rock n' roll punk rock songs that get in your face and fuck shit up. I enjoyed these songs. If only the whole album was like this, they would have a very solid and awesome record. Not sure what compells them to make crap like "crusin' california" and almost every other dumb ass pop-rock song in the first 1-7 songs, But these 2 songs show they still have it in them to make song good punkish sounding songs.

Oh well... I give this album a 4/10. Each of the 4 songs listed above get a point towards the final score. Everything else is rubbish.

[october_midnight]

Pretty sure it's safe to assume that any album, from any band, in any thread, from W Axl Rose is a safe bet to just avoid like the plague.

[kdrcraig]

Listened to the new album over the weekend and it's not very good. The first 2 or 3 songs were ok, a bunch of bullshit songs in the middle. I like the original version of Dirty Magic better, this version isn't much different but I don't like the small ways they changed the chorus. Overall it's lame that they recorded that song again because they didn't even really change it enough to make it worth it.

[jmtd]

I'm curious to hear the rerecording. The original suffers from the primitive mastering. I've always loved a live version of the song I found once.


Pretty sure it's safe to assume that any album, from any band, in any thread, from W Axl Rose is a safe bet to just avoid like the plague.

Yeah, you've pointed that out already... Despite it being a troll thread we've still got some good discussion out of it.

[ManBurning]

"Smash" marked it's 20th anniversary recently. To celebrate, the band is releasing a 20th anniversary special edition, as well as going to be playing the album from start to finish at select tour dates this summer.

http://offspring.com/news/398/smash-20th-anniversary

I would defiantly go check out a "smash live" show. It's their best album, would love to hear it live beginning to end.

[jmtd]

Awesome. I might break out my "self esteem" 12" to celebrate.

Edit: some bonus tracks would have been welcome.

[konkelo]

Man, it sucks pretty hard that Offspring is FINALLY coming to play in Finland and I got to have a show with my own band at the same night.... If we're up early that night then I might drive and go see them because it's not that far where we are playing (Helsinki).

[jmtd]

Agreed, a superfluous reissue sadly. I might see about catching one of their Smash tour shows though.

[ManBurning]

Yeah, this re-release screams cash grab, unfortunately. Smash has always been my favourite album of theirs. It's the one and only album I have held onto all these years while I sold all the other records of theirs I used to own.

Wish there was more to this package in terms of demos or unreleased songs or live material from the era.

Oh well... I would definatly love to see a smash show if they came near me this summer.

Even though Dexter is getting up there in age. I've seen recent photos of him and he's not looking to well, he's gained alot of weight. I wonder how his voice sounds these days. I'll check out some youtube videos when they start trickling in to see if it's still worth the price of admission.

[jmtd]

Even though Dexter is getting up there in age. I've seen recent photos of him and he's not looking to well, he's gained alot of weight. I wonder how his voice sounds these days.

TBH for me at least, his voice was never all that. I reckon Ron Welty leaving had more impact on their sound, but I haven't heard the new one (or the guy in-between).

[Conan The Barbarian]

Holy shit he looks old as fuck.

[thevoid99]

Yikes... cut back on the meat and sweets.

[Leviathant]

Holy shit he looks old as fuck.

Seeing that photo made me feel old.

[Louie_Cypher]

Seeing that photo made me feel old.
you and me both my brother

[Leviathant]

When I read this thread yesterday, I was thinking "You know, maybe I'd go see them play Smash the whole way through."

Now I'm thinking...

http://i.imgur.com/7WqK9qP.png

...maybe that would be awkward.

[W Axl Rose]

Pretty apparent that this guy's blatantly trolling the board at this point, I can't be the only one seeing it.


Yeah,I couldn't possibly be a big fan of The Offspring who owns everything they've ever released and seen them live for close to 20 years now. You got me there,Brosef. I often like to stay after shows and meet bands that I don't like so I can get cred by posting about it on ETS :rolleyes:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/t1.0-9/298228_10150444803322456_1759044209_n.jpg

[october_midnight]

Cool, you met the 71 year old from that band that was big 20 years ago.

[Microwave Jellyfish]

Huh, they are talking about The Offspring on ETS? And not in the Nickelback thread? Day's made.

Yeah, sadly besides that 15 minutes of Smash fame (and another 5 seconds with Pretty Fly) 'spring has always been that one band everyone hates, for their sound is too poppy for tru panx, but still way too edgy to get real airplay, unlike Green Day. But I love 'em.

Nowadays most of the bashing goes solely for their appearances, but I'm still kinda glad Dex got old and fat, it seemed to have improved his live singing a lot. I know it's strange, and it's possible that the two things just happened at the same time, without having effect on one another, but still. Good for them.

[W Axl Rose]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eKUYuxp1KlU

New Offspring! Coming For You. I dig it. It's a catchy tune. Thoughts/opinions?

[jmtd]

Haven't listened yet. Not sure if I've recovered from the dirty magic cover/rework yet! They're touring the UK around my birthday...

[thefragile_jake]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eKUYuxp1KlU

New Offspring! Coming For You. I dig it. It's a catchy tune. Thoughts/opinions?

Laughable lyrics, plastic production and formulaic song writing.

Sounds like the epitome of arena butt rock. Smash is still cool at least.

[GulDukat]

I heard "Self-Esteem" for the first time in forever the other day, took me back to the 90's and I remembered what a good song it is. I want to revisit their catalog. I remember liking their first 3-4 albums but they kind of lost me with "Pretty Fly For a White Guy." I haven't heard any of their more recent albums.

[Reznor2112]

Will always be a good song


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40V9_1PMUGM

[Archive_Reports]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us8OhI-OTHg

This one as well.

[ManBurning]

Damn, I was hoping this thread was bumped with some information on the new album that's been in the works for like 10 years!

Anyway, this came out earlier this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYa02QAcAkA

[ManBurning]

New record!

Our tenth studio album 'Let The Bad Times Roll' will be available everywhere on April 16, 2021! That's right, we have a brand new album coming out this year! Pre-Save LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL now at https://found.ee/OffspringBadTimesRoll (https://found.ee/OffspringBadTimesRoll?fbclid=IwAR1LBSQvvasZCxi66SK OMcvJTzSy3LQv_uow4HVyFsmEvCI8qX8G4miPbdg) https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t49/1/16/1f3f4_200d_2620.png https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tab/1/16/2620.png

TRACKLISTING
This Is Not Utopia
Let The Bad Times Roll
Behind Your Walls
Army of One
Breaking These Bones
Coming For You
We Never Have Sex Anymore
In The Hall of the Mountain King
The Opioid Diaries
Hassan Chop
Gone Away
Lullaby


https://scontent.fyvr4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/154292221_10159301518497287_1908098645275226940_o. jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=eV1TyLygvsAAX9FBdYa&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr4-1.fna&tp=6&oh=344b5e7a14a4bac848c0b41189b2a8d5&oe=605DBF93

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63FCtOonsjw&feature=emb_logo

[allegate]

Hassan Chop?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siqPMOYh7DA

[GulDukat]

New record!

Our tenth studio album 'Let The Bad Times Roll' will be available everywhere on April 16, 2021! That's right, we have a brand new album coming out this year! Pre-Save LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL now at https://found.ee/OffspringBadTimesRoll (https://found.ee/OffspringBadTimesRoll?fbclid=IwAR1LBSQvvasZCxi66SK OMcvJTzSy3LQv_uow4HVyFsmEvCI8qX8G4miPbdg) https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t49/1/16/1f3f4_200d_2620.png https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tab/1/16/2620.png

TRACKLISTING
This Is Not Utopia
Let The Bad Times Roll
Behind Your Walls
Army of One
Breaking These Bones
Coming For You
We Never Have Sex Anymore
In The Hall of the Mountain King
The Opioid Diaries
Hassan Chop
Gone Away
Lullaby


https://scontent.fyvr4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/154292221_10159301518497287_1908098645275226940_o. jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=eV1TyLygvsAAX9FBdYa&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr4-1.fna&tp=6&oh=344b5e7a14a4bac848c0b41189b2a8d5&oe=605DBF93

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63FCtOonsjw&feature=emb_logo
Don't care for the new single. Too modern sounding and the chorus sounds like something Maroon 5 would have done.

[thefragile_jake]

Why is it that so many bands that are around after a longer period of time have such terrible albums covers?

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

https://scontent.fyvr4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/154292221_10159301518497287_1908098645275226940_o. jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=eV1TyLygvsAAX9FBdYa&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr4-1.fna&tp=6&oh=344b5e7a14a4bac848c0b41189b2a8d5&oe=605DBF93

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63FCtOonsjw&feature=emb_logo

Barf...

[henryeatscereal]

Yeah, new single blows, but i'm curious to hear the re-recording of "Gone Away"

[ManBurning]

Yeah, new single blows, but i'm curious to hear the re-recording of "Gone Away"

Oh shit, I didn't even realize there was a re-recording of "Gone Away"
I noticed the "In the hall of the mountain king" cover.

[jmtd]

I was going to joke “which track is another remake of dirty magic” but I guess it’s gone away this time.

[bobbie solo]

https://i.imgur.com/rmdSx.gif

[GulDukat]

They lost me after "Pretty Fly for a White Guy." First couple albums are pretty great though. This doesn't even sound like the same band.

[ickyvicky]

Don't care for the new song. It's too long also.

[allegate]

Oh shit, I didn't even realize there was a re-recording of "Gone Away"
I noticed the "In the hall of the mountain king" cover.
over/under on it being the Savatage version vs. Grieg?

[leo3375]

Yeah, new single blows, but i'm curious to hear the re-recording of "Gone Away"


I think it's going to be a studio recording of the piano version they've played live in the last decade or so.

[kdrcraig]

I think it's going to be a studio recording of the piano version they've played live in the last decade or so.

Yikes, that version is god awful.

I might check out this album at some point, Splinter was the last one I really liked. I think I listened to Days Go By like twice.

[henryeatscereal]

I think it's going to be a studio recording of the piano version they've played live in the last decade or so.
Had no idea about the piano version...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8V5uBh4UHk
It's Ok, at least they tried something different

[jmtd]

I’m going to check that out later. I’m mildly snarky about offspring stuff but not exclusively. I enjoyed their earlier work when I was a kid. Maybe their new stuff will resonate with me now, maybe it won’t. Maybe it’ll be great for some kids today. Even if it’s not for me if they’re making honest music I respect that.

[leo3375]

Confirmed on Instagram that the version of "Gone Away" on LTBTR is indeed the piano version that they've done live.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMFldu6gLn1/

[ManBurning]

drip, drip, drip... and....

It's surprisingly not horrible. That's my opinion after 1 listen anyway.

[leo3375]

I'm surprised that no one has posted this yet. Dexter was interviewed on Bob Lefestz's podcast back in May and it's well worth listening to the whole thing (98 minutes long). Among topics, he talks about his Ph.D, being a pilot, his hot sauce, the history of the band, and reveals what actually inspired the song "Gone Away."

https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2021/05/13/dexter-holland-this-weeks-podcast/

[KingKill]

There is an original 7-song demo for sale if anyone is interested
https://www.discogs.com/The-Offspring-7-songs/release/7156644

[M1ke]

The Canadian leg of their current tour was just cancelled due to covid.

It's not surprising, but I'm still disappointed. I had tickets to their St Catharines show, and it would have been the first concert I'd ever been to that was walking distance from my house, I was so pumped for it.