You must have been living under a rock for 25 years to have avoided the Offspring's career. Dexter and co. brought their brand of punk rock to the mainstream public in the 90s, and now return with their ninth studio album 'Days Go By'.
Opening track 'The Future Is Now' is an excellent start, sounding similar to modern day Rise Against, as well as 'Secrets from the Underground' proving that the Offspring can provide the same fast punk rock of old. New single 'Days Go By' falls slightly flat and seems dull in comparison, but 'Turning Into You' and 'Hurting As One' will make great listening for die hard fans.
You would think that a career spanning two and a half decades, and after selling over 50 million albums, that the Offspring would know what they were good at by now. Although creating some of the best fun rock songs of all time, 'Cruising California (Bumpin' In My Trunk)' is a disaster and just sounds awkward and embarrassing [think less 'Pretty Fly For A White Guy' and more your drunk parents singing karaoke at a wedding]. 'OC Guns' is also completely misplaced and makes the album disjointed.
A random but welcome re-recording of 'Ignition' classic 'Dirty Magic' brightens the mood before the album peters out, disappointing promise from the start.
'Days Go By' isn't the best album the veteran rockers have produced but nobody was expecting it to be. If used wisely, it has enough good tracks to keep their live show fresh and new, but they won't be gaining too many new fans any time soon.
5/10
Nice review! After hearing Cruising California I didn't bother to listen to Days Go By, and I seemed to be the only one thinking it's a failing ironic song, making it an ironic irony song haha. But you seem the think the same! Anyway, you convinced me to give the album a try anyway, saying the Offspring didn't forget about us die hard fans. I hope you're right :) as my hope kind of faded after hearing Cruising.
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Thanks Willem! Let us know how you get on with the album.
Deletedafuq? since when are The Offspring serious band in both sound and lyrics? Cruising California is great rock-ish R&B joke and return to the notional surfer roots of the band and OC Guns are brilliant raggae satyre of 'gangsta sh*t'. saying they're misplaced, awkward or whatever proves how off you are (and no, I'm not saying they are perfect and must-love tracks but they still sound Offspring enough to fit into the album perfectly, especially since they're followed by the opposite pole of their sound, Dirty Magic).
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