NOFX hasn't softened after 20 years of skate-ska-punk rage, and their latest release finds them in the political ring. "When did punk get so safe?" they ask in "Separation of Church and Skate." That's more an accusation than a question, and they use it as a launching point to take off on politics, music, capitalism and idiots in general. Their Elder Statesmen status lends authority to their claim that punk is the perfect forum for change in this era of laissez-faire conformity. There's no mistaking who they're pointing at when they say they know who "put the mock in demockracy," or that we're all lost fish who "would rather follow the school into the net" in "Regaining Unconsciousness." Most of the political songs are classic NOFX, but they pull out the ska chops on a couple of cuts. "We Got 2 Jealous Agains" and "13 Stitches" are homage to their influences and the roots of their own political awareness.
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