The affection held for the Descendents in punk circles is unparalleled, so their return 12 years after their last album, 2004’s Cool To Be You, is an event to celebrate.
Hypercaffium Spazzinate whips by in a flash of gleaming pop-punk mini-anthems, averaging out at around the two-minute mark but perfectly formed, from the wonderfully self-mocking On Paper to the bitter, pumped-up Testosterone (frontman Milo Aukerman’s view of the clashing egos in the science community he was working in at his day job as a molecular biologist).
Then there’s the moving view of the death of a relationship on Without Love and the frustration at seeing chronic overmedication in the US on Limiter. It’s all smart stuff, but presented with tunes that hook into your brain. They’ve lost none of their spark in the 34 years since their debut, and have the edge on bands half their age. Don’t leave it so long until next time, eh?
Pop punk pioneers The Descendents on their upcoming date at Rebellion Festival
