Release Date:  April 8th, 1994

Recorded:  October – December 1993

Genre:  Punk Rock, Pop Punk

Record Label:  Epitaph

Duration:  46:47

Producer:  Thom Wilson

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Smash is One of My Favorites

Is it Offspring or The Offspring?  Most sources would validate the latter, though on this release, they were simply known as “Offspring.”  Smash stands as the best selling independent album of all time, a title it still holds today.  Released back in 1994, this was truly the oldest “hard rock” album in my collection; so old in fact, that I still have my original cassette copy.  (And this was back before you were looked at like an alien for buying a tape.)  Smash was one of a few key albums that helped usher in a new popular wave of punk music, bringing with it a pop sensibility that lended itself well to radio airplay and mass consumption.

As the band’s third studio album, Smash retained a good deal of rawness in its production yet was also polished enough for mainstream tastes.  Most tracks are catchy and upbeat, though they also explore relatively dark social themes like any good punk album.  While not overtly politically charged, it addresses issues like the environment (“Not the One”), war (“Genocide,” “It’ll Be a Long Time”), school violence (“Come Out and Play”), and even mental instability (“Gotta Get Away”).  The Offspring’s brand of social consciousness is nicely tempered, preferring to be thought provoking instead of pushy and insistent.  Other tracks such as “Self-Esteem,” “What Happened to You?”, and “Smash” touch on more personal themes with an edgy and dissatisfied punk twist.

Purists will take issue with referring to Smash as punk, but the attitude is certainly there.  It may not be as gritty as Minor Threat, or as political as The Dead Kennedys, or as hardcore as Black Flag, but if you go back to early punk bands like The Ramones who were more interested in “pure” rock ‘n’ roll, backlashing against the break with convention during the 60’s and returning to a 50’s style of short, simple, and melodic songs, the link is clearly evident.

One impressive feature of Smash is how fast most of the songs are.  Holland’s delivery isn’t typically aggressive and usually stays reasonably paced, but the guitar parts, bass, and drums are often moving at an incredible rate.  Guitar riffs (and by extension bass, though I have a hard time singling out the instrument at times) are hammered out like a machine gun on more than half the album.  The chords aren’t particularly complex, but the speed gives Smash an intensity and urgency that persists from beginning to end.  “Smash,” “Genocide,” “I’m Not the One,” and “It’ll Be a Long Time” are some of the records faster cuts, speaking towards the philosophy of a lot of punk bands at the time, “faster, faster, faster!”

Perhaps even more impressive is the band’s ability to craft catchy, rhythmic songs amid the speed.  Speed often comes at the cost of rhythm, but Smash is more than just a relentless barrage of riffs thanks to careful timing.  Holland’s simple melodies lie at the heart of most compositions, most evident in “Self-Esteem” and the ska-inspired “What Happened to You?”  His middle-of-the-road delivery keeps the album approachable, though he hasn’t completely abandoned his “punk twang.”  Also present are a healthy amount of “whoa’s, oh’s, and yeah’s” in the background that continue to draw focus to the melody as well as tip Smash’s hat to older punk records.

Certain tracks shine above the rest, specifically “Bad Habit,” the first two singles “Self-Esteem” and “Come Out and Play” (later given “Keep ‘Em Separated” as an official subtitle), “What Happened to You?”, and the final cut, “Smash” (my personal favorite).  However, the entire CD is remarkably consistent.  There are no throw away songs, no filler, no slow ones to interrupt the pace – it’s one big blast of energy that, while thoughtful, also does a great job of providing a light-hearted listen.  This is simply the Offspring doing what they did at the time best.  It may not push boundaries or open new horizons for its listeners, but it delivers what it ought to.  It’s pretty cool to see a band that’s comfortable enough with their style to run with it and not feel the need to break out of the box at every turn.

Smash’s popularity did much to pave the way for acts like Green Day, Blink-182, and even the metalcore that would come to dominate mid-2000’s  If anything, it helped define “punk” in a broader sense with less focus on lifestyle and ideology and more emphasis placed on stylistic attributes of the music.  No matter what you end up calling it, Smash is an exceedingly solid piece of work that does what it does well.  It’s a great listen from top to bottom whether you’re scrutinizing every chord change or just riding in the car.  Perhaps most importantly, it illustrates that music need not be complex or experimental to be enjoyable.  It’s positioned squarely between pop rock and metal in its “heaviness” and embraces a sort of “everyman’s hard rock” that almost anyone can get behind.

Written by The Cubist

Other albums from The Offspring in this series:

• 1997 – Ixnay on the Hombre – Issue #79
• 1998 – Americana – Issue #69

Back to The Cubist’s 90’s Albums