The Offspring – ‘Supercharged’

Dexter Holland and Noodles know who they are, what kind of music they make, and who likes it. That’s not surprising; the Offspring has been a staple in the US punk scene for over thirty years, so if they haven’t worked it out by now, they probably weren’t going to. That’s not to say that ‘Supercharged’ is the same old fare which propelled the Californians to stadium status. In fact, there’s been a subtle change in their sound of late which was very evident during their set at Download this year: they’re reserving their desire for silliness and whimsy for the ‘band banter’ between songs and have switched to keeping their music very straight. They’ve also realised that they have a solid base of folk who have stuck with them since the turn of the millennium, and that they’re unlikely to experience a late career renaissance a la Limp Bizkit. So, you’re looking for songs that sound like ‘Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)’, then ‘Supercharged’ will only take the edge off your craving at best. However, if you want a record of solid, serious-ish punk and you’re already into Dexter’s falsetto sound, then ‘Supercharged’ is going to float your boat.

There’s much more sweetness in their take on romance from the guys who wrote incel anthem ‘Self Esteem’. Both the figureheads of the Offspring are fathers multiple times over and in stable marriages, so it makes sense that their sound has moved on too from the angst of their early days, in the same way the fanbase who skated to their tunes as teens now are of the right age to have also settled down. Headline single ‘Make It All Right’ launched at the same time as their Download appearance and is the definition of ‘cuteness’, from the playful backing down to the overwhelming message of ‘let’s just run away and listen to punk rock, okay?’. It’s also very slow by the Offspring’s standards, and very simple. There’s  little twiddling from the guy who earned the nickname ‘Noodles’ for a reason, and it soars when it needs to. ‘OK But This Is The Last Time’ continues in this vein; direct, easy to get into, a love song for the day after you’ve had a disagreement with the person you’ve already been in love with for a lifetime. Both songs are endearing and feel right for where both the average Offspring fan and the band themselves are in their lives. 

They haven’t completely mellowed though. The Offspring in 2024 are as technically complex and professional as ever, their songs packed with air-guitar potential. There’s always been a hidden anger when we look at each album as a whole though: it’ll trundle along nicely, then you’ll hear a biting lyric about domestic violence and realise that under all that production, they are raging. That quality hasn’t entirely dissipated with age, thankfully. ‘Truth In Fiction’ is a Bad Religion song in all but name (in fact, a quick google was required to make sure this wasn’t a Graffin cover). It’s short, rapid, and follows the model of quick fire political monologue with ambitious bass and a bucketload of thrashing that we love from the aforementioned other punk band.

The ‘classic’ Offspring sound is showcased on ‘Light It Up’, which could have come from any of their last records and has the quintessential layering of everything they’ve got with the social commentary in an AABB rhyme scheme that we love from them. The only point where there’s some joking around is ‘Come To Brazil’, a tribute to the enthusiastic demands for shows from their South American fans. With lyrics detailing the tourist highlights of Brazil, and a stomping, power metal energy that switches to a football chant, you can forgive this song for being the obvious novelty track when you know it will absolutely go off when it’s played in Rio. 

‘Supercharged’ isn’t going to win the Offspring new fans, but that’s not really the point of this record. It’s a warmhearted album for the legions of Original Pranksters who grew up with their records, a comfortable celebration of commercial punk stalwarts doing what they do best. If you remember watching Holland hang glide into the street on the ‘Why Don’t You Get A Job’ video, then this is for you.

KATE ALLVEY