Where Let The Bad Times
Roll will likely divide opinion is in the mid-point, three-track swing of the
aforementioned, ice-hockey-goal-music swagger of Coming For You, the
bookending, rocked-up cover of evil orchestral classic In The Hall Of The
Mountain King, and the embarrassing dad overshare of We Never Have Sex Anymore – which leaves as little to the imagination as its title suggests. Flirting, as
ever, with novelty, Let The Bad Times Roll is The Offspring as they’ve always
been, without apology, sending themselves up as much as tackling really quite
serious issues such as the opioid crisis (The Opioid Diaries).
It’s dubious whether
anyone needs an Offspring piano ballad in their life, however, especially one
carrying a slight melodic whiff of Gary Jules’ take on Tears For Fears’ Mad
World (or, indeed, Five Finger Death Punch's rendition of one of Offspring's biggest hits), but that’s where the record closes out on Gone Away Requiem, save for
Lullaby’s briefly trippy one-minute epilogue, reprising the title-track refrain.
That’s more a matter of personal taste than a reflection of the job the band
have done on the whole though, and how much you can stomach the occasionally jarring
tonal shifts will determine your desire to revisit the record. For the majority
of its runtime, Let The Bad Times Roll represents a welcome return from a band
who undoubtedly make the world all the brighter with their presence.
Verdict: 3/5
For fans of: Sum 41, Green
Day, Bad Religion
Let The Bad Times Roll is released on April 16 via Concord Records. Pre-order / pre-save your copy now.
The Offspring tour the UK in November 2021 with The Hives.