Phrygian In The Rhythm

I was introduced to the album Smash whilst piloting a tiny red car hurtling through the snowy wastes of mid-Wales at night. My mate Steve, put on the road rager ‘Bad Habit’ on Spotify figuring it was just the ticket for a night drive with zero visibility. He couldn’t believe for a second that I didn’t know the LP.

When I go driving, I stay in my lane
But getting cut off, it makes me insane
I open the glove box, reach inside
I'm gonna wreck this fucker's ride

The Offspring totally passed me by, despite being HUGE until I caught up in 1998*. I mean I knew who they were, I just never heard anything by them, or sought them out. Limited funds, post-Nirvana numbness, buying a house, you know, life shit that folks in Offspring songs don’t have to deal with.

---

Picking up Smash in December 2017 I was greeted by 13 shots of punk rock, or more accurately rock punk; heaviness was always a good part of Offspring’s appeal. So far, so Rancid, but more than that Smash is shot through with some real melodic smarts and a couple of all time So-Cal punk classics.

Once past the opening skit** we’re off and hurtling through ‘Nitro (Youth Energy)’ and ‘Bad Habit’ all deliriously unfocused speed and adolescent vim; the fact that the band were mostly pushing 30 just seemed to make them relish it all the more. It’s a great LP to accelerate to.

The tempo drops and the heaviness increases for ‘Gotta Get Away’ before the band light out for the horizon again on ‘Genocide’, which features some great guitaring. Then we hit a rare misstep with ‘Something To Believe In’ which is the one tune here the band forget to lace with a hook.

Cuddling each other over the side gap are the two big hitters here, ‘Come Out And Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)’ and ‘Self Esteem’. They’re both frigging great, furious pop punk at its very best, helmed by great riffs courtesy of Noodles (possibly not his given name) and topped by Dexter Holland’s never strained vocals.

The bellicose ‘Come Out And Play’, steals a trick or two from hip-hop in its timing and (allegedly) use of the Phrygian scale from Agent Orange ‘Bloodstains’. Whatever, it is a monster tune and more than the sum of its’ parts, although the video could do with not cutting to snake charmers and fakirs when the band start Phrygian in the rhythm.

The I-know-she’s-just-using-me-but-I-don’t-care-mostly ‘Self Esteem’ is possibly even better. All manner of indie-style whining set to a great upbeat punk tune, it is a real energising treat of a tune.

Now I know I'm being used
That's okay man 'cause I like the abuse
Now I know she's playing with me
That's okay 'cause I've got no self-esteem

Smash fades a touch on side 2, It’s a CD-era album and as usual could do with a minor cull. I’m keeping ‘It’ll Be A Long Time’, the Didjits cover ‘Killboy Powerhead’, the stop/start influenced by grunge shout-along ‘So Alone’ and the title track with its ‘I’m not a trendy asshole’ hook.

It is really noticeable just what a tight band Offspring were when they recorded Smash. The rhythm section of Ron Welty and Greg K really stand out, keeping heavy music so light on its feet is no mean feat at all, for which bonus kudos go to producer Thom Wilson.

---

I really enjoy Smash, it is loud, catchy, rocky, cocky, packed with adolescent concerns and built to last. It is exactly the sort of LP that had it landed on me when I was 17 would have taken over my entire world, 46 year old me, slightly less so; the difference being I see it as an object of entertainment, rather than as a credo^.

None of which is meant to diminish Smash, it is a damn good shout along time, poised just on the cuddly side of snotty. I’ll take that.

1173 Down

PS: Dude needs his hair sorting out:

*when they released ‘Pretty Fly (For A Welsh Guy)’.

**why do bands do that? Offspring didn’t learn and opened Americana similarly.

^It clearly caught a lot of other folks at just the right time, Smash is still the best selling independent release of all time. True story.