Too often, however, The Offspring lose any kind of focus. Lyrically barbed and deeply honest, its cut and thrust recalls late 90s fan favourite ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’. To concentrate on the highs: title cut ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ is a leering statement of defiance, while ‘The Opioid Diaries’ is a genuinely daring, journalistic takedown of America’s damaging cluster of addictions. ‘Coming For You’ was initially released way back in 2015, and while it’s a perfectly enjoyable pop-punk stramash that date is an indication that all has not been well beneath the group’s easy-going Californian façade. Indeed, there’s not a lot on here that feels genuinely new.
Stretched to 12 songs, the tracklisting still finds room for a goofy, completely non-essential version of bombastic classical fave ‘In The Hall Of The Mountain King’ and a piano version of ‘Gone Away’ – a single previously released in 1997. A record that struggles to find an identity, both the length and the truculence of its gestation are evident in every note. That being said, it’s not exactly clear who ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ is aimed at. Indeed, it’s not unfair to say that Green Day’s ‘Dookie’ and The Offspring’s ‘Smash’ practically defined adolescence for several million people. Yet fans still cluster around the band, whose pop-edged take on punk captured a global audience in the 90s, one they have stubbornly kept by their side.
Musicians have come and gone, leaving Dexter Holland as the sole original in their line up, while sessions for ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’ have had more false starts than a particularly muddy Grand National. The Offspring have been put through the wringer during the past decade.