REVIEW: The Offspring - Days Go By - listen

So The Offspring have a new album out. Before track one begins you already know what it's going to sound like. They have two styles - thrashy punk rock with lots of "woah oh"s, and goofy mainstream rock tunes. Their ninth studio album 'Days Go By' shows no sign of the California four piece changing their familiar style, but even though it will be criticised for the lack of any new ideas, this isn't a bad album. 


In fact the faster, more direct punk numbers like the fiery 'Turning Into You' and the addictively catchy 'Secrets From The Underground' sound like they could have been written around the time of their finest album, 1994's 'Smash'. Tracks like the urgent 'Hurting As One' with its no-nonsense riffing and the burst of full throttle excitement that is 'Dividing By Zero' are blazing firecrackers that keep up the burning pace. They prove that sometimes, bands sticking to their same old sound can produce great results, as long as they match the quality. This is the case for a number of songs on 'Days Go By', including the excellent swear word-heavy closer 'Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell', but sadly the album suffers from filler such as the poor hip hop-influenced nonsense of 'Cruising California (Bumpin' in My Trunk)' and its hideously shit lyrics ("she’s waving her caboose at you, you sneeze achoo "). 

The weak Sublime parody that is 'OC Guns' comes across as a misguided attempt at a mariachi-tinged pop hit, while 'I Wanna Secret Family With You' is unimaginative mainstream rock with some embarrassingly bad lyrics. The album's more rock ballad-y moments also drag the overall quality down, although 'All I Have Left Is You' is as good as the Offspring's more sentimental moments get, revealing a more introspective tone to Dexter Holland's vocals. 


There isn't anything new to offer here and the more commercially focused tracks fail to impress, but thanks to a handful of their best songs in years 'Days Go By' is at times better than a lot of people might have expected it to be. 6.8