”Supercharged” is the title of the upcoming new THE OFFSPRING album, not exactly the kind of music we feature here however there’s many readers of this website fans of this fun, poppy-punky act.
Taking a look at the cover art some may think; What? THE OFFSPRING is going Ride The Lightning / Metallica style? Not at all, the ten songs are in the feel-good, guitar-driven party vibe this band is known for. However, many of the tracks, especially the last ones in the track list, are pretty hard rocking.
Generally speaking, there are three ways for an established, popular band to handle aging. The first is to deny it and continue trying to maintain the same style; which inevitably leads to the county fair circuit. The second is to transition to a new, mellower style. Nobody will buy your new albums, but people will go to shows for the nostalgia.
The third tactic, which is the most difficult but lends itself to the most longevity, is to mature your band’s sound without losing whatever unique aspect made you popular in the first place.
The Offspring is one of the few bands to pull off that third option, and its 11th album, “Supercharged”, is an excellent example of how it’s done.
On ”Supercharged”, you hear a band that knows how to do it. It got used to its new members after quite a bit of turnover (founding bassist Greg Kriesel was fired for undisclosed reasons in 2018 and longtime drummer Pete Parada in 2021 for refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19). It all shows in the consistency and quality of the result.
This is obvious from the first track, “Looking Out For #1.” There’s still some of the signature (or infamous, depending on your view) “whoas,” but they’re missing singer Dexter Holland distinctive vibrato, suggesting another band member is jumping in.
The album checks all the expected boxes for The Offspring: there’s a pop-inspired single in “Make It All Right.” There’s a self-deprecating song about staying in a bad relationship in “Ok, But This Is the Last Time,” which admittedly doesn’t resonate as well from a bunch of long-married dads than “Self Esteem” did from some nerdy 20-somethings. There’s social commentary in “Truth in Fiction.”
And – crucially – they’re all good pop-rock songs.
However the second half of the album is different, and something more hard rock oriented listeners should check out.
We find some outside-the-box experimentation. The guitars parts in “Come To Brazil” sound almost like thrash metal. Well, there’s some Metallica here after all, eh? Whether that’s guitarist Noodles branching out, or the new band members bringing their own influences, it works surprisingly well.
Then ”Get Some” adds a rock n’ roll boogie twang to the riffs, almost resulting in a hard rock song. “Hanging By A Thread” is straight rock n roll, and pretty hard too.
”Supercharged” won’t disappoint fans of the band, and maybe bring new ones to the fore. Dexter Holland and company sound like a band that’s put its turmoil behind it, rediscovered what music they want to make, and enjoyed making it.
01. Looking Out For #1
02. Light It Up
03. The Fall Guy
04. Make It All Right
05. Ok, But This Is The Last Time
06. Truth In Fiction
07. Come To Brazil
08. Get Some
09. Hanging By A Thread
10. You Can't Get There From Here
The Offspring – Supercharged 2024, MP3+FLAC
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