Descendents - Hypercaffium Spazzinate

Descendents
Hypercaffium Spazzinate
2016
Spotify

Punk rock can be either a joy or a real pain in the ass to review. On one hand it is usually high paced, exciting and non-stop activity but it also can often sound one note. The Descendents have been around for years and this record is their seventh full release. If you are looking to be surprised or shocked you really aren't going to find it on this record. Instead The Descendents just make a really solid and fun punk rock record that doesn't really swing the needle one way or another. Much like Rancid all these later the band has not lost their brattyness or their disdain for authority. There are very few punk bands that make it into their forties or fifties and still continue to make music but The Descendents are bucking that trend and have not lost a step on the way there. Somehow this band has gone from complaining about growing up punk to eventually worrying that Fat Burger might give them diabetes. This change could easily be cringe, and as I write this I am even slightly cringing, but The Descendents are moving into this other phase of life with total grace. Who in their right mind would have thought that you could say that about a punk band this far in.

What the Descendents do really well on this record is move from brashish hardcore into more poppy melodies effortlessly. You can easily start a circle pit or hum along to some awesome melodies and get it all from the same album. ONe thing about this record is there is a hell of a lot of music here. There are 21 tracks but only a 41 minute run time making for pacing that is absolutely relentless. The Descendents hit you hard and fast then move on never dwelling on an idea for longer than a moment. When a band does a move like this it usually means that they are throwing as much at the wall as possible and hoping something sticks, but each song on this record sounds wholly intentional. The production polish is also welcome for a punk record and lets you enjoy what the band is doing rather than be bombarded with distortion until your ears bleed. For any fans of punk rock this is what it looks like when it finally grows up. Hypercaffium Spazzinate is not going to set the world on fire, but on the whole it is a super authentic and fun record. Get in to it.

7.8 out of 10