The song wouldn’t sound out of place on any recent Bad Religion album and fans dating back to Smash should find it at least moderately enjoyable. Opener “This Is Not Utopia” kicks off the album with one of the most recognizable efforts on the release. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it and Let The Bad Times Roll is another offering in that sense. The Offspring have a trademark sound and a classic album tracking. At least not in the way contemporaries like blink-182 and Green Day have throughout their careers. A throwaway pop song unless a massive hit with radio, but much less embarrassing than something like “Cruising California (Bumpin’ in My Trunk).” Despite being one of the most successful legit rock bands of the last 30 years and icons in their own right, one of the unique features about The Offspring is how they never veered far from their original sound. The song had that Southern California beach vibe as danceable acoustics, hand claps, and Dexter Holland’s classic vocal style - complete with their trademarks ‘woahs’ - were peppered into this obvious single. I was hooked in and made my plan to tune back into the band that I largely strayed from ahead of the release of Let The Bad Times Roll. It was a humorous song about the shit show that was the last few years with enough ear worm appeal to knock the cynic out of me. When they released their first single off said album, the eponymous song hit me much in the way most singles I was aware of do from The Offspring. The question of what an album from The Offspring offers in 2021 is one of relativity. It's off 2008’s Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace and has collected nearly half a billion listens! But I digress. Suffice to say I was surprised to find out it’s actually their top streamed song on Spotify from their entire discography. In fact, I had never heard that song until doing some research to write this review for their new album Let The Bad Times Roll. You’ll see the differences immediately in who sings along whether you put on “Self-Esteem,” “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy),” or “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid.” If you’ve never heard of that last one, then you’re likely like me in the sense that my introduction to The Offspring was through their Americana album at the age of 12 in 1998.
Don’t believe me? Put on their music at a party ranging from middle-aged adults to teenagers. The Offspring are a generational institution at this point with multiple entry points for fans of the band.
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