Tom: Our regular Radio Insider sends us this, with the phrase “shit 90s dancepop gone rocky”. Needless to say, I played it immediately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAlZyajmcIM
Tom: Now, I like the Offspring; “Ixnay on the Hombre” was one of my favourite albums when I was younger, and it still has a place in my heart now. And this is… well, this is different, to say the least.
Tim: Is it?
Tom: Well, yes. It’s like Katy Perry suddenly discovered punk. While I hate to credit YouTube comments with anything, I have to admit that “stewartmc7” makes a valid point: “they make joke songs on almost all of their albums. But those joke songs are so catchy that some of them actually become famous and popular.” He uses Pretty Fly for a White Guy as an example. And he’s right: this isn’t some new, poppy, reinvented Busted-like Offspring: it’s them having fun and producing something poppy that’ll entice people to buy the album.
Tim: True. I’ve never really given them much attention (although I do find Why Don’t You Get A Job very good for walking quickly to) so I don’t really know, but fans aside, won’t people just think of them as a band that produces music like this and Pretty Fly For A White Guy? Basically, a slightly quirky rock band?
Tom: That’s an interesting perspective. The Offspring have always been mostly towards the “punk” end of pop-punk in my head, whereas this doesn’t even count as vaguely punk. It’s a strange one indeed. I think the irritating novelty parts are more annoying than the catchy melody is listenable, but your view may differ.
Tim: My view is that it’s standard Offspring material, and I think most others will have the same.
Tom: That sound you hear? It’s the “true” Offspring fanboys screaming.