The Offspring (Part 2)

Can A Mainstream Punk Rock Band Stay Relevant After 20 Years?

The Offspring in 2012, releasing their 9th studio album

In 1996, the Offspring had reached enormous levels of success which could have never been predicted by an record label executive. The band had sold millions of copies of their third full-length record, "Smash" without the backing of a major label. They were all over the radio, plastered on the front of rock magazines, selling out headlining shows, and receiving constant play on MTV. They even had a performance in 1994 at the Billboard music awards. Their first attempt to match "Smash" was met with a decline in sales and airplay, while their second shot on a major would nearly match those sales. It was hard to say where the band would go, or if they would even stay together up to 2012.

 

This 1994 performance of fan favorite "Bad Habit" exposed the Offspring to a whole new audience, and with gusto.

From 2003 until now, the band has gone on to record three full length records, with their longest span in between releases seen from 2003 to 2008. "Splinter" was the first of these releases. The record received the most mixed reviews the band had ever seen, as many complained about the length of the record, with a couple of songs considered straight filler which threw a wrench into the flow of an album struggling to find an identity - and that was easily how the Offspring could have been described; as a band without identity.

With a mixed bag such as "Splinter", one could only suggest that the band was losing touch with it's roots but at the same time experimenting with trying to stay fresh to constant turnover of fans. After all, who's buying your records from the chain stores? Kids, mostly. How could the band appeal to kids? It seemed as if they didn't know, so they tried nearly everything they could.

The lead single from "Splinter" seemed like something the band had never recorded. "Hit That" was poppy punk hid behind a synthesizer beat which amped itself up with driving guitar in the chorus. But behind the mask of production was really just another attempt to recreate the magic of "Come Out & Play", as Dexter Holland went back (again) to attempt his signature vaguely sociopolitical lyrics with a wink to his audience. Thankfully, it wasn't as painful as "Original Prankster", but it begun to feel as if every lead single was just becoming another degree of a poor mans "Come Out & Play". Did the band have any other tricks up their sleeves to get their records off the shelves?

 

"Cant Get My Head Around You" borrowed it's opening riff from "Americana's" "Staring At The Sun". A boring video accompanied the boring track.

"Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace" would be the bands next release. An album three years in the making, it was recorded in various locations over the time period, including Hawaii. The result was another incredibly mixed bag from the band, perhaps even more so than "Splinter". As Holland tried to dig deeper, and throw away the cluttered humorous tracks from previous albums in order to fill those gaps with songs for a new generation of youths to relate to, he fell more than short.

He takes a shot at the sentimental with the apologetic ballad, "Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?" which he wrote for a girl who grew up in the same town as him and was sexually abused. Apparently most of the town was aware, but failed to intervene. This track could have resulted in a richer direction for the band, but instead Holland's simply unimaginative lyrics gave way to an instrumental reminiscent of Simple Plan's corniest tracks.

  

"Kristy Are You Doing Okay?" bumps up the sentimentality with lackluster results.

Another single effort, "You're Gonna Go Far Kid" stood out like a sore thumb on an album which ranged anywhere from trying to replicate the recent major label success of Rise Against (who both Holland and Noodles claim to be fans of) to "American Idiot" era Green Day and all the way back to 90's Post-Grunge. For a band always attempting to replicate their past success, it seemed as if their new choice of direction was to replicate the recent success of others.

 
"You're Gonna Go Far Kid" is perhaps one of only a few tracks which sound anything close to the Offspring of the past on "Rise & Fall..".

Regardless, "Rise & Fall..." went on to sell less than a million copies, receive mixed to negative reviews, though it did crack the top ten on the Billboard chart. Despite the reaction to the album, the band didn't seem phased, perhaps due to settling into a constant groove and a comfortable life, they chugged along touring and preparing for their next record.

 

In comparison to their 1994 performance posted above, just last year the band plays a set clocking in at just over an hour at a festival in the Netherlands. During the first track, Holland loses his breath, failing to regain his energy for the remainder of the show. The rest of the band plays on, looking disinterested. This is 11 years after the band claimed to MuchMusic's George Stroumboulopouls, "We just love doing what we love to do." In regards to why the band has lasted so long. Perhaps things have changed.

2012 sees the release of two new singles from the bands upcoming ninth studio release, "Days Go By". The uninspired, flat tracks don't show as much as a change in direction for the band, more of a path running into a brick wall. The title track from the upcoming LP seems to be another attempt at current faceless radio rock the group seems to think they can not only pull off, but do better than the groups 20 year younger than them. Frankly, they are dead wrong.

 

The video for "Days Go By" looks as if it has a budget of under 500 dollars, but not in a punk rock way, more in a "were about to be dropped by our label if we don't go gold in the states with this record" way.

Of course, the band fails to disappoint us this time around, finally releasing a single that will get our toes tapping and the girls at the beach singing along with these California elderly punks again - that is, of course, before we all stick the barrel of a shotgun in our mouths and pull the trigger. The companion single to "Days Go By" is just that awful. In the same vein of "Pretty Fly" and "Original Prankster", "Crusin' California" attempts to parody. This time, the band takes on the music industry, ironically enough. Seemingly, the pop hooks are a stab at artists such as Katy Perry in a "Look! Hey! We can do it, too!" kind of way. Unfortunately, the track will both be misinterpreted as a real radio hit, and as an biting satire, neither of which it is.

 

An awful video for the Offspring's worst single to date. "Crusin' California" might be the straw that breaks the camel's back for the bands critical career.

"Days Go By" will be released later this month, and I am sitting here, dreading to write the review. If anything, going in with low expectations based on these two singles, I may be pleasantly surprised. Most signs point to the Offspring going to way of the Dodo when it comes to being plastered on mainstream media, but only time will tell.

The Offspring

Is This High Selling Band Ready To Fade Away, Or Hitting A New Stride?

 

 The Offspring circa 1994, the height of their commercial and critical success

California four-piece the Offspring formed in 1984, which as of 2012, makes their run hit 28 years. Their self-titled debut release would not be recorded until 1989, after demos and a single which received minor critical praise from people within the punk scene, such as long-running zine "Maximum Rock N Roll". But it wouldn't be until 1994 when the band released their third full length record, the aptly titled "Smash" (Epitaph records), that they would crossover with mainstream success.

The band were unlikely stars, their lead guitarist a former janitor commonly referred to simply as "Noodles", their lead singer (Dexter Holland) sporting a somewhat chunky figure behind loose goofy clothing and rocking dread locks in their music videos, while their skinny and shy bass player (Greg K.) would keep to himself in interviews (much like drummer Rob Welty, who joined the band at 16) but was still inclined to throw in the occasional Punk Rock jump at live shows. These four misfits, with their brand of blazing skate-punk packed full of clever and self deprecating lyrics seemed to fit right in with what the 90's decided was going to sell to the generation of already jaded and pissed off youngsters who were the ones stealing money from their suburban parents to buy records in order to bruise themselves while skateboarding.

The video for "Gotta Get Away" was directed by Samuel Bayer, who would go on to direct the 2010 version of "A Nightmare On Elm Street" after a long career in music videos for bands such as Hole, The Rolling Stones, Blink -182, Metallica, and many more but perhaps most famously; Nirvana's break-out hit, "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

"Smash" would go on to sell over 12 million units, and be one of the most successful punk records, as well as one of the most successful records released by an indie label of all time thanks to the radio and television play of it's three main singles; "Gotta Get Away", "Self Esteem" and "Come Out & Play", which remains their most successful single to date. All three tracks still garner radio play on mainstream rock stations.

 

Music video for "Come Out & Play" thanks to Epitaph records

The album was not without it's critics. One of the groups main influences, Agent Orange, made a claim that "Come Out & Play" sported a guitar riffs from one of their singles, 1979's "Bloodstains". Other groups around the United States grinned with jealousy at the Offspring's media exposure, while many others waited for them to fall off with the release of a new album. Thankfully, the support was still around at Epitaph records, who also released their second LP, "Ignition". Still, the band made the decision to take their music to Columbia records, but with their contractual obligation to Epitaph, were forced to release their next full length with the budding label in Europe.

Agent Orange performing "Bloodstains"

The Offspring toured heavily in support of "Smash" and wouldn't start writing or recording their follow-up (and Columbia records debut) "Ixnay On The Hombre" until 1996, a two year window riding the wave of their previous record. Feeling the pressure to re-create album sales and critical praise, "Ixnay" was released to moderate success on both accounts in February of 1997. It went on to sell about a third of the units in comparison to "Smash", but still spawned five singles.

 

Strangely enough, the Offspring's transition to a major label saw their first single as the blazing "All I Want" with a video directed by David Yow of the Jesus Lizard.

The record didn't stray too far from the Offspring's punk rock roots, but with the adage of major label backing, it was questioned if some of the tracks might have been forced upon the band to put on the final cut for mass appeal to a radio rock audience the band had yet to reach. The single "Gone Away" was met with commercial success, but would leave a bad taste in many critics mouths, who saw it as a deep dive into post-grunge territory for the band. Other tracks were deemed throwaways behind solid punk singles such as "All I Want" and "The Meaning Of Life". The band begun to lose steam and popularity among the devout punk rock crowd, but still soldiered on with the experiment of a major label jump.

"Gone Away" was the Offspring's first experience to mixed critical reaction from the mainstream

"Americana" was released on Columbia in the Winter of 1998, and went on to breathe a new live in the bank-ability of the band. It went on to nearly match the sales of "Smash" with around 12 million units, and spawned four singles. Still, somehow, the lasting effect and influence of "Smash" seems to allude "Americana."

This may be due to the records lead single, "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)", which stands as the groups first attempt at combining the sounds they achieved with their most successful single ("Come Out & Play) with both pop sensibilities and parody of popular culture. The track went on to reach number 1 on the charts in nine countries, but failed to do so in North America. To this day, it's played on both mainstream rock and pop stations.

 

The music video for "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" was directed by McG, who went on to direct the updated version of "Charlie's Angels" & "Terminator: Salvation". He was also heavily involved with television shows "Supernatural", "Chuck" and "The OC".

Other singles from "Americana" were met with less success such as "Why Don't You Get A Job?" and "She's Got Issues" along with "The Kids Aren't Alright." Though the latter was met with great reception from critics and remains a fan favorite. Still, some tracks on the record such as "No Brakes" and "Staring At The Sun" managed to hint at the Offspring's classic "Smash" sound, filling the gap for punk fans in between the radio hits that were being shoved in their faces.

 

The video for "She's Got Issues" featured a young Zooey Deschanel, long before she was your indie darling

Not many bands have the chance at success like the Offspring achieved even once, but twice, and the group seemed to be set for the future with Columbia and fans from outside of their former stomping grounds of Punk Rock. Tomorrow, we look at the band between the year 2000 and now, and the ups and downs in between.