On their new album produced by Bob Rock (Bon Jovi, Metallica), the Offspring have slicked up their presentation and tightened their material. There’s still a goofiness to how the band addresses the world, seen in the way they code the actual refrain in “Stuff Is Messed Up” and the manner in which the band borrows riffs in the lead-off single “Hammerhead” (and again in the aforementioned “Stuff”). It’d be insulting to actually name the riffs they are riffing on, but trust me, you’ll know them both. Neither subtract from the overall sense that the Offspring has delivered (yet another) impressive collection of material.

It is fitting that the Offspring begins this release with “Half-Truism.” After a brief, clean guitar intro, vocalist/guitarist Dexter Holland, bassist Greg K, and guitarist Noodles take over and through the rest of their short punk-ish outbursts, there are very few lulls. No single track, in fact, can be called filler on this recording. Smartly enlisting the services of drum slut Josh Freese, who plays with everyone, “Half-Truism” includes all the trademark idiosyncrasies for which the Offspring is known. The lyrics are smart, delivered quickly and with conviction. The vocals are layered as they have been layered on previous Offspring releases. The guitar riff is urgent and drives the song. Freese fulfills his role as a hired hand and quiets his rhythms when he needs to and bashes when he needs to as well -- dynamics remain his forte as a drummer.

Holland’s lyrics, as they have always been, are all over the place. In “Trust In You,” he is introspective when he declares, “I’m willing to find what’s really inside / and show I am strong enough to / trust in you.” In “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid,” he is obscene when he sings, “Now dance fucker dance / Man, he never had a chance / and no one even knew.” Finally, in “Kristy, Are You Doing Okay,” he is regretful on lines like “I knew something was wrong / and I should have spoke out / and I’m so sorry now / I didn’t know / cause we were so young.” All three of these examples are welcome signs that the Offspring, or at least Holland, for all the similarities between this release and previous releases, understands that they can’t retain their fans and remain relevant by releasing the same songs with different lyrics and slightly different chord progressions -- they needed to embrace change and Holland does on this release.

Unlike previous releases, where there are at least two songs that exemplify this band’s sense of humor, there is only one amusing nugget to be found here. Previous moments like “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” and “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)” served to separate the Offspring from other bands in the past. Still, Holland gets a chuckle out of me on this release with his “Stuff Is Messed Up” rant. Actually, the title on the CD booklet is code for a different phrase and I’ve already used my quota for F-bombs.

All in all, I was satisfied with this release. I like that the band has been able to stick with their patented formula of creating great hooks and listenable riffs and remain relevant. This is a mid-year candidate for release of the year, but I’m not taking bets until September when Metallica’s Death Magnetic is released.

Rating: A

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