Album Of The Week: Descendents’ Hypercaffium Spazzinate

In this crazy year we need punk rock more than ever. We need to listen to some amplified, angst-filled, guitar-driven music that ignites the rambunctiousness in all of us. Seems like the perfect time for the Descendents to put out their first album in 12 years, right? The punk legends from Manhattan Beach, California, have their seventh album, Hypercaffium Spazzinate, out and the fearsome foursome have gone back to what they do best. That’s unleashing feverish riffs, pristine drumming and lyrics that come straight from the heart.

The title is an ode to frontman Milo Aukerman’s former career as a research biochemist while the album itself harks back to the Descendents’ earlier material in tone and style. When the band’s previous album Cool To Be You came out in 2004, polished pop punk was all over the place. Being a band that are considered to be pioneers of pop punk (which I find to be weird), the Descendents went with the times with Cool To Be You and put out a clean sounding album. Hypercaffium Spazzinate brings back the band’s edge that they had in the ’80s. The album’s production quality has a little bit of grit and that’s what a punk band should sound like.

Pop punk is a bit of an oxymoron in my opinion. Punk started out as a genre that counteracted what pop music was in the ’70s and then punk bands started bringing melody. That’s what makes it pop? Maybe that’s why we have crappy bands like All Time Low and The Maine corrupting the youth, though that’s not the Descendents’ fault. Before I ramble on more than I should, let’s mosh to my top tracks from the Album Of The Week:

A minute-long rager, “We Got Defeat,” has a triumphant chorus that adds power to a track that’s lightning quick. “Spineless and Scarlet Red” is Aukerman’s examination of people’s cowardice and ignorance toward where people like to place blame. It’s always nice to hear Bill Stevenson drum and he proves why he’s still one of the best from start to finish. Karl Alvarez is the anchor on bass in “Limiter,” a pissed-off song about how drug addiction can alienate the young. The track has a full arsenal of shred from guitarist Stephen Edgerton coming at a rapid pace.

The Descendents will be tearing apart the Royale in Boston on October 6 with Philadelphia punks Beach Slang. From the looks of it, it should be one of the top shows to happen in The Hub by year’s end. While you wait for the leaves to fall and the show to blow the roof off the joint, grab a copy of Hypercaffium Spazzinate. It’s hot out of the lab and it’s bound to explode. Stream “Limiter” hère: youtube.com/watch?v=UhvIF3V5wQc; Follow the Descendents on Tumblr: descendents.tumblr.com