Rancid – Tomorrow Never Comes

There’s a pretty good chance that if you’re familiar with Rancid, you’re getting on in your years.  A few years back I learned that a former boss of mine was a huge Rancid fan – granted, she moonlighted as a professional wrestler and used The Interrupters as her opening theme song – but it’s a far cry from the youthful, mohawk sporting audience I remember in the mosh pits when Rancid took the stage back on tour twenty years back.  With Tim Armstrong pushing 57, it’s only natural that the fanbase has since traded their dickies and sleevless jean jackets for blazers and dress shoes to pay their mortgages and feed their families. 

Yet, as I sit here, exhausted at the end of the work week, I can’t help but feel energized by the notion of tuning in to the latest by the Rancid crew.  The band’s tenth studio album, Tomorrow Never Comes, follows all the rules of engagement that Rancid fans have come to expect over the years.  The unmistakable vocals of Lars Frederickton and Tim Armstrong, along with their clear street-punk lineage, are on full display.  

Opening with “Tomorrow Never Comes,” Rancid wastes no time in laying down a ferocious beat.  Lars kicks things into high gear as he forcefully rattles off the unforgiving warcry, “No judge, no jury, no civil rights / Show up on the line, get ready to fight.”  While Rancid has always been aligned with working class pride, the stakes feel like they have never been higher – the likely result of the deepening and irreconcilable fractions dividing the American political landscape.  It’s the type of message that gives up on diplomacy and feeds on emotion.  

Like usual, there’s a variety of tempos and track lengths across these sixteen tracks, contrasting quick and dirty asymmetrical songs like “Mud, Blood and Gold,” “Magnificent Rogue” and “Don’t Make Me Do It,”  with melodic anthems with singable choruses, like “Devil in Disguise,” “One Way Ticket” and “New America.”  Tim Armstrong’s mouth-full-of-marbles delivery is on full display with tunes like “It’s a Road to Righteousness,” with the record’s mid-album run scaling back the tempo and emphasizing Rancid’s more radio-friendly elements.  Interestingly, there isn’t a single immediate standout track.  Rather, it’s more likely that particular songs will stand apart from the pack upon repeat listens.  That being said, listeners willing to put the time in will likely find something to connect with – like “Devil in Disguise” has on my end.

In the end, Rancid has produced another energetic throwback sure to reassure fans that these old dogs still have what it takes to run with the pack.  While Tomorrow Never Comes won’t necessarily turn any new heads, it will reignite the fire of days gone by for those of us in the throws of middle age.  That being said, if today’s youth are looking to acquaint themselves with one of street punk’s all time greats, then Tomorrow Never Comes is a solid entry point as well.  Either way, the Rancid train is back on the tracks – be sure to hop on and enjoy the ride!