The Offspring - Let The Bad Times Roll (April 16, 2021) • Page 7

Lots of bands have recorded/produced really great sounding records at a distance during locks. In 2021, it’s feels like bad production should be a thing.

 

They've had this problem on more albums than not, tbh. Days Go By had some awful awful cymbal sounds, and Splinter is way more raw than people give it credit for

 

Upon first listen through this album, it's enjoyable. It's not anywhere near their best, but it is refreshing to hear new music from them after almost 10 years.

Is it a step up from Days Go By? Not sure, DGB had some really great songs that I'll still go out of my way to listen to sometimes.

 

The one-two punch of Dividing By Zero and Slim Pickens alone puts DGB over this album

 

This is such a weird release and it's borderline hilarious that they took nine years to release... THIS. Another poster nailed it: An album with a single from 2015, two pointless re-recordings and an outro track. I know that the ridiculously long waiting time between this and Days Go By is mostly because of label disputes, the issues with Greg K and COVID, which all delayed the release of the album. But still, if I was a hardcore Offspring fan, but I would be very irritated by this.

I agree that the production on some songs is terrible, especially on the opening track - it sounds terrible and Dexter sounds shockingly different, even though he sounds pretty normal on the other songs. Not a very good first impression.

They also left in a recording mistake on "Coming for You". Around the one minute mark, you can hear the lead vocals cut in and out for one second. I checked the 2015 release and the mistake is there too. After six freaking years, nobody caught this. This is all just funny to me.

I'm not mad or anything since The Offspring is a band from which I don't expect anything anymore. I still like them, I'm glad they're still around and when they do another European Festival tour, I'm always excited to see them again. It's just such a weird release and I truly wonder if this album is the final one and they just continue touring since they still seem to have fun doing that. But this release showed me that there's really no point in them releasing any new full albums since they apparently struggled to barely fill this album with songs. Maybe just release stand-alone singles if Dexter comes up with a neat song idea.

Also, I actually think "We Never Have Sex Anymore" is the best and most catchy song on the album. I like the out-there instrumentation and I don't think it's as much of a joke song as people think it is. I like it!

 

It is quite baffling when you think about the fact that this band that has sold millions of records worldwide. There's no reason for most of the album to sound like this. It's amazing how much better their albums from 25 years ago sound compared to the new album.

Couldn't agree more. Those two songs are the only latter day Offspring songs I go back to on a regular basis. Just 5 straight minutes of these guys doing what they do best.

 

I almost posted this the other day. I don’t think it’s a joke song either. Just because it’s about sex (or lackthereof) doesn’t make it a joke song. And it’s also one of my favorites on the album. Quite easily, actually.

 

Really like the vibes of Lullaby, it’s an awesome outro song for the album.

Fun to imagine when they tour again, that they walk out to Lullaby playing, and then jump right into Let the Bad Times Roll.

 

I listed to the album for the first time today, while it's not great it's definitely a fun and catchy album. For a late career album it's good.

 

Narrator: He went back to it for more many, many times over the weekend

 

This version of "Gone Away" sounds like it would be in trailer in 2017. Dexter's voice sounds so processed on that too. Feel like they were two decades late on trying to capture that song in a way that's not laughable.

 

Re-listened to the original today and it really made me realise how good that song is. Dexter's vocals are the highlight, one of his best performances in his career, but there's so many great bits, especially Noodles' little flourishes on his guitar, a real whole band effort.

The piano version has none of that. If anything it just sounds like the Five Finger Death Punch cover.

 

I haven't listened yet. I'm sure it's solid, as I like nearly every Offspring album - but boy howdy this sure looks lazy on paper. An alternate version of Gone Away, a song we've had for years in Coming For You, and an instrumental?

Man this is really just an EP padded out to 30 minutes. I don't mind the old song being on there so much but jeez. I wonder if this is the last album we'll ever get from them..........if this is all they could come up with in 9 years???

 

Absolutely agree with everything you said, especially the Five Finger part. The original is one of the best alt-rock songs from that decade. I think this just shows that either the band or Dexter refuse to accept that they've aged. It sucks to see.

 

They have been playing it as a piano version for a while now, and going by what Dex said in interviews and the reaction on social media over the past years, there was actually quite a bit of fan demand for an acoustic version of Gone Away. So they probably just gave a portion of their fans what they asked for.

That said, I totally agree that this version is not good at all. The original had so much raw anger and sadness and just really encapsulated what it feels like to lose someone before their time. All of which is just lacking from the new version.

 

They surely don't seem to enjoy writing new music, which is fine. Most of the people going to shows don't want to hear new music anyway. They don't even really tour America much anymore, so IDK what they actually do want to do. Just keep raking in that sweet Euro festival money.

 

The new version sounds like something an American Idol contestant would have put together in the late 2000s.

 

The Offspring are definitely a legacy act up to this point, I definitely would expect a pretty straight forward setlist at a show at this point.

 

My signed vinyl came in today

 

Damn I just learned Dexter's real name isn't even Dexter

 

I guess we should wait to tell you about Noodles to then.....just kidding

 

Finally got around to this album and damn, they did it again. Very enjoyable album, great late-career album

 

The first song rips but man, it does NOT sound like Dexter at ALL.

 

The album is fine, it's nice to hear something new from Offspring again.