ATP! Album Review: NOFX - Self Entitled

For those who are well versed in NOFX’s ballsy punk cooking pot of lesbians, politics and wordplay, releasing an album called "Self Entitled" is a no-brainer, but for the new listener it may help to explain there are two rules to NOFX’s music. The first is that anything goes and the second is that nothing is taken too seriously. Got it? Good, because the follow up to 2009’s "Coaster" starts with ’72 Hookers’ and if that won’t set the tone nothing will. In all seriousness, this first track is a brilliant example of mocking the idea of religious extremism with a mixture of childish humor and earnest encouragement for the world to see its absurdity as clearly as the white trash, two heebs and a bean see it.

One of the highlights of this latest offering comes from ‘Ronnie & Mags’ - a mourning of past policies in an anti-war anthem, protesting the lust for war for political gain. The mission to "start a war before ‘84" is set to a backdrop of epic punk angst and shows the best of what NOFX can offer in terms of musicianship and messages, complete with three seconds of what sounds uncannily like ‘Rock Lobster’ by the B-52s.

There are one or two moments that come across as a little repetitive, but these are few and far between and only really a downside if fast-paced drums and power chords don’t do it for you - even then, there should be enough solos, jokes and pretty kick ass riffs to keep you satisfied. One example of the latter comes in ‘Cell Out’, an almost retro ode to the way things change based on a pun of one of the most overused phrases in punk circles.

With "Self Entitled", the Californian punk aficionados have proven that they’re still going strong, producing material that rivals even their most revered work, and with any luck they’ll carry on like a juggernaut for years to come.

4/5

Edward Strickson

"Self Entitled" is out now through Fat Wreck Chords.