Perhaps the most surprising potential release of 2019, given that it’s been seven years since their previous effort Days Go By, The Offspring recently revealed that they’d been putting the finishing touches on their highly-anticipated 10th LP. Working with GRAMMY-winning producer Bob Rock (who also teamed up with the band on Days Go By and 2008’s Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace), the California legends have been chipping away at new material in between a year of extensive touring.
“We’re very lucky that we have fans in lots of different places – in Australia, in Japan, in Europe and the UK, of course,” frontman Dexter Holland told Kerrang! earlier in the year. “But what that means is that we have to kind of coordinate a schedule so we’re able to service everyone as well. So we really have to get it together so we can spend a little bit of time in each place so we can make the most of the record when it’s released. So we’re kind of in the process of putting that together, but, geez, I’d imagine it’d be out by the fall.”
As for how it’s going to sound? “It sounds like our old shit!” Dexter continued. “That’s what I’m supposed to say, right? I don’t really know how to describe it. I guess it’s punk rock, but then we throw in a couple of songs that aren’t what you’d normally predict. We have a lot of really fast stuff on there, plus a couple of things that you might not really expect from us. But I’m really, really happy with it.”
Two weeks ago, guitarist Noodles also expanded on the music: “People keep asking me what it sounds like and I say, it sounds like… us. It’s all there – the melody, the powerful drums, bass and guitar. We dig it. You’ll dig it.” Still, while it seems as though the record is pretty much good to go, there’s been no update yet on if the band have a record label to release it with.
“We were on Sony ever since Ixnay [On The Hombre] – and we finished out our contact,” said Dexter. “We did, like, seven records for them. We’ve got to be the only band that’s ever finished out a record contract without being dropped by their record label. We didn’t get dropped, we just finished! But then we took a couple of years off because I wanted to go back to school, but now it’s, like, ‘We’re back! Anybody want to sign us up!’”
Yeah, we’re sure you’re not going to struggle on that front, chaps…