The Offspring
Days Go By
(Columbia Records)

This reviewer has long been a fan of the Offspring. From their first, self-titled punk-as-can-be release, through their tongue-in-check Americana album, all the way through to their latest release, Days Go By, the Offspring just grow on you. While the band has changed over the years from a punk rock band to a bunch of guys just having fun, the quality of the music is still there and rising on Days Go By.

Fans of the “older” Offspring sound will love “The Future Is Now.” The track belongs on Warped Tour or on an X-Games soundtrack. This is the Offspring’s version of nu-punk. Spunky and emotive, there’s a touch of Rise Against in the track. The title track is a bit more in-tune with one of the band’s latest albums, Conspiracy of One. Fans of slower, anthemic tracks will fall in love with this one. “Turning Into You” is really one of the tracks that take this album further than the band has gone before. There’s a little bit of a dance floor feeling to the front of the track. That is, of course, until the track blows into a full-on punk track. Rock on! Now, the one oddity on the album is “OC Guns.” A reggae track mixed with mariachi (yes, mariachi), the track is really on the laughable side, but if you can get through it without fast-forwarding, the band will reward you with an update to the track “Dirty Magic,” originally a part of the early album, Ignition.

If you haven’t bought this album quite yet, please go run out and remedy that ASAP.