Descendents
Hypercaffium Spazzinate
(Epitaph)

There are artists like Bob Dylan and Neil Young who constantly release albums and seem to always be on tour. Then there’s the Descendents. They go on hiatus after almost every album and play shows when they feel like it. That’s why a new album by them is always a big deal. Their latest, Hypercaffium Spazzinate, is not terribly different than their previous album, Cool to be You, but the fact that twelve years have passed and they’re still doing it so well is a feat. None of their albums sound that different anyway.

All the band members are in their 50’s now, but don’t think that means they’ve gone soft or slowed down. True to the album’s title, every track is an over-caffeinated blast of catchy punk. “No Fat Burger” is classic hardcore, clocking in at 45 seconds. It just so happens it’s about cutting fat out of your diet due to a family history of heart disease. Doesn’t sound very punk, but the Descendents have a history of against-the-grain lyrics. They’ve redefined “cool” to mean whatever is cool to them. In that respect, “On Paper” is this album’s “Mass Nerder.” Milo Aukerman sings about how he’s not good looking or charming, but he has impeccable credentials if you look at his test scores and check his credit. Songs like these and other standouts, like “Without Love” and “Fighting Myself,” already sound like classic Descendents.

Countless punk bands can trace their sound back to the Descendents. Without them, the Warped Tour probably wouldn’t exist. So it’s nice to have them check in once in a while and remind us all why they are among the forefathers. It may be another ten years until we get another Descendents album, but I’ll still want to hear it because I’m sure that even in their 60’s they’ll be making top-of-the-line pop-punk.