Descendents – Hypercaffium Spazzinate

the Descendents are a legendary punk band, I probably don’t need to tell you that, without them we would probably be looking at a very different punk scene than the one we all know and love. Whether it’s the pop punk of Blink 182, or the harder edged sounds of the likes of NOFX, Pennywise and Face To Face, the Descendents have had a massive influence on the direction American punk has taken. Hypercaffium Spazzinate is the Descendents much anticipated new album, their first Epitaph Records release since Everything Sucks in 1996, and their first new material since 2004’s Cool To Be You. The Descendents trademark mixture of punk and hardcore has always been performed with a perfect pop sheen, and Hypercaffium Spazzinate is no exception. 

Hypercaffium Spazzinate veers smoothly between melodic hardcore, punk and pop tinged punk, and even occasionally into full blooded hardcore, without batting an eyelid. The opening duo of songs, Feel This and Victim Of Me, dispel any doubts you may have had about this album in the first three minutes, these two songs are exhuberant hardcore influenced blasts that carry their trademark melody. My personal favourites on this album are On Paper, Without Love and Shameless Halo but that’s not to do the rest of the album a disservice, there isn’t a single weak track amongst the sixteen cuts that populate Hypercaffium Spazzinate. All the Descendents hallmarks are present throughout the album, the harmony driven choruses, the ridiculously catchy songs, the mesmerising guitar hooks and the astute lyrical content, in fact everything you could possibly want from a new Descendents album.

This isn’t just a great comeback album, it’s a truly great Descendents album, this has without doubt been the most eagerly anticipated punk album of 2016 to date, and it doesn’t disappoint on any level. The Descendents have influenced the way punk developed, almost four decades later they’re still showing us the way things should be done. This is one of the best albums you’ll hear this year and will be amonst my personal highlights come the end of 2016, very few bands who have been around this long produce albums that are this good. The Descendents are on the road at the moment, including a rare UK appearance where they are headlining the opening night of the Rebellion Festival on the 4th August, if you are lucky enough to be going to Rebellion this year I would ensure you catch the Descendents set.

Pre-orders for Hypercaffium Spazzinate are available here

You can visit the Descendents website here

The Epitaph Records website is here