Punk Rock returns

At first glance, this album’s title could fool you into thinking it’s a “greatest hits”, or more likely in this case a “best of”. But on closer inspection Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace would be a terrible name for a “best of”. However, this is in fact the follow up to The Offspring’s 2005 greatest hits album.

As a teenager Smash andIxnay On The Hombre were amongst my most cherished and listened to albums. In that cringeworthy teenage way, I relished singing along to the swearing breakdown of Bad Habit and the heartbreak of Self Esteem, but then along came Americana and it all went a bit silly, even for a teenager.

With their latest offering, The Offspring appear to have decided to go back to the old school, albeit with splashes of contemporary influence. Album opener Half Truism teases with a Muse-style keyboard before swiftly diving headfirst into vintage Offspring - furious drumming and half-shouted vocals - before tripping into an emo-esque chorus at half the speed with a sentiment to match, “If we don’t make it alive, well it’s a hell of a good day to die”. Trust in You is pretty much Nitro (Youth Energy). A Lot Like You rather worryingly introduces a piano to the mix giving a latter day Linkin Park feel, whilst Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? has a textbook emo name.

The Offspring are in an awkward position: US punk as we knew it in the 1990s is pretty much dead, however much Green Day try to poke it back to life with a stick. The new generation of emo kids have moved in and adapted it to something similar yet very different and distinctive in its own right. So what’s a band of vintage punks to do? The options are clearly jump on the bandwagon or give up. Given the options and the path they have chosen, The Offspring have done an alright job.

Whilst this album is certainly nothing original, it has enough vintage Offspring styling, coupled with borrowings from what the kids are doing these days, to have some contemporary appeal,be that to the sentimental Offspring fan, or the passing emo kid at Download who wasn’t quite sure who those old men on the stage were.