The return of Children with Let The Bad Times Roll feels timely if not because of the recent resurgence of pop punk, but the absolute disaster of the times in which we now live.
If I’m honest, the last album I listened to was in 2008 Rise and fall, wrath and graceand while it fulfilled my then-teenage need for California punk rock, it never made a lasting impression on Americana The Age of Children.
However, I was curious after hearing the title track from Let The Bad Times Roll when it was released as a single; it has a classic edge and more importantly is memorable. Indeed, the powerful energy of that cynical figure pervaded the entire album, and we were completely on board.
Opening song This is not Utopia is a raucous take on a track that recalls their late ’90s pop punk aesthetic, but has more lyrical depth because it reflects the hate and hysteria of an early 2020s America.
It was one of a series of fierce war hymns, along with the song Army of Oneuptempo Break these bones and outstanding album protest marches Come for you.
Get a little relief from the fast paced number of melancholy emojis Behind your walland again about experimental, jazz-inspired We never had sex again; it’s the gentle acknowledgment of their age that we need for a band whose popularity peaks in their early thirties.
Drug diary full of fun punk guitars mixed with balladic vibes, while Hassan Chop is the song that most recalls the characteristic sound of The Offspring that people like Pretty Fly (for a white guy)but thankfully not in a shameful way.
The shortest distance on record is just one minute In the Hall of the Mountain King; a guitar cover of an orchestral classical piece by Edvard Grieg for the play Henrik Ibsen Peer Gynt. If the album is about to have an addition, we appreciate that it is.
They also have a slow piano cover of their 1997 song Gonewith one Crazy world– the chorus sounds good at lowering the mood at the end of the album; although the official album is closer to being a mellow version of Let The Bad Times Roll licensed Lullaby.
Honestly, there isn’t a single bad song here, although of course, not every song is the work of genius. It’s always high-energy and contagious enough to keep you hooked for 33 minutes, and certainly a more refined version of the uptempo punk rock they’re famous for.
Let The Bad Times Roll Undoubtedly the album 2021 needs, perfectly representing the populace’s defiance – even if it comes a little later than the party.
