The Offspring

Let The Bad Times Roll

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THE OFFSPRING – LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL – ALBUM REVIEW

Was anybody craving a new album from The Offspring in 2021? Where would you set your expectations for such a release? ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ arrives some nine years since its predecessor ‘Days Go By’.

In fact the band have exercised a very sparse release schedule since their last Platinum record – 2000’s ‘Conspiracy of One’. With ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ just the fourth album in the last 21 years, how would this record size-up with their early material.

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The answer is teased from the outset with ‘This Is Not Utopia’, ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ and ‘Behind Your Walls’ capturing the energy of their biggest hits. Theories of a toned down The Offspring are quickly dispelled as the album shows little ease.

There is a maturity on this album that I’d liken to a Bad Religion model of teenage angst through the eyes of a wise old punk rocker. That brings a sense of relevance to the release that may have been missing had the band simply tried to mirror early successes.

The fact is that at this stage of their career The Offspring didn’t need to release an album. They have enough in their arsenal to coast through sell out shows and major festival slots. They could be forgiven for playing on nostalgia until they retire. They haven’t done that however. They have chosen to stick their necks out and release new music for the first time in a long time.

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‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ is unlikely to reach the heights of ‘Conspiracy of One’, but somewhat surprisingly that isn’t down to its quality. This album will actually gain the band additional credibility and will sit very nicely with their back catalogue.

Was anybody craving a new album from The Offspring in 2021? Perhaps not, but actually in this messed up world we live in, maybe, just maybe, we needed it!

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