Only The Offspring could make an album as high octane as SUPERCHARGED. Aggressive yet melodic, distinctly SoCal yet universal, it’s a record that harnesses the unpredictable live-wire energy of life in the 21st century and turns it into a force both positive and inspiring. 

“The title SUPERCHARGED sure sums up the world right now, where everyone seems to be fired up in real life and on social media,” says Dexter Holland, The Offspring’s founding singer, guitarist, and songwriter. “But it also refers to the sound of some of my favorite records, from AC/DC to Operation Ivy. Whether musically or culturally, that word hits you in a very visceral way.”

Produced by Bob Rock, the 10 songs on SUPERCHARGED capture The Offspring — pivotal in the birth of the Southern California punk scene — at peak strength. Holland’s lyrics are as sharp as a straight razor, and he delivers them via one of music’s most instantly recognizable voices. Lead guitarist Noodles, Holland’s right-hand man since 1985, shreds and slashes. In SUPERCHARGED singles like “Light It Up,” they live up to their reputation as one of punk rock’s most potent creative teams.

“‘Light It Up’ is a juggernaut. The character is fed up, he's had enough, and he’s ready for a fight,” Holland says. “Growing up, some of my favorite songs were by punk bands that were like, ‘I'm sick of your shit,’ but were also trying to change things for the better. That’s the message of ‘Light It Up’: You're fed up and you want to do something about it.”

The idea of improving your life is also the theme of lead single “Make It All Right,” a song heavy in California vibes that pairs melodic harmonies with Orange County guitar crunch. “I wanted to try and write a punk-rock Beach Boys song,” Holland says.

 A hallmark of some of The Offspring’s biggest hits, from “Come Out and Play” to “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy),” the song is punctuated by a spoken-word refrain. “All I want to do is to fly away with you,” a woman’s voice declares.

“I see those spoken-word parts as kind of musical hooks. A fresh voice can put a song in a different zone, and especially with ‘Make It All Right,’ I thought that particular voice was right for it,” Holland says. “The song is about a guy whose girlfriend is reminding him that everything is going to be ok. But she’s not a pushover — in one lyric, she tells him, ‘Just suck it up!’ He likes that.”

In “OK, But This Is the Last Time,” The Offspring return to the familiar notion of being a sucker. “Noodles calls this song ‘Self Esteem Part Two,’” Holland laughs. 

But Holland actually had his kids in mind while writing the lyrics, not a temperamental, hard-to-please girlfriend. “I’ll say no and you’ll say yes/Then I’ll say OK, but this is the last time,” he sings in the chorus, detailing a negotiation that always ends the same way. 

“One of the cool things about music and lyrics is that it should be open to interpretation,” he says. “I've written some songs that are very much an actual story, like ‘Self Esteem,’ but I like that this song can be taken in different ways. It can be about your girlfriend, or your kids having a meltdown, and that’s part of the fun of it.”

Holland pokes a little fun at a comment musicians hear every time they announce a tour, with the IYKYK song “Come to Brazil.” A standout of the album, it features heavy guitars, shoutouts to Brazilian customs, and a rousing soccer chant. Holland considers it a love letter to South American fans. “Brazil really does go off. It has an enthusiasm and passion and is an amazing place to play,” he says. “I hope the fans make this song their own.”

Since returning from a nearly 10-year break between albums so that Holland could earn his PhD in molecular biology from USC, The Offspring have been unrelenting. They marked the 30th anniversary of their six-time Platinum album Smash this year, released the chart-topping Let the Bad Times Roll in 2021, and added to their 40 million album sales worldwide. They also continue to tour the globe — yes, including Brazil — thrilling longtime fans and connecting with a new generation full of the same angst and aggression on which The Offspring were built. 

This past year, Queen guitarist Brian May and Ed Sheeran each joined them onstage at different concerts, with Sheeran impressing the band by lifting up his shirt to reveal an Offspring tattoo. Holland, who wrote his dissertation on HIV research, bonded with May over their shared science backgrounds. 

“Some people see it as a contradiction to have a science degree and yet be into music, but there is a connection there. Music is mathematical in the way it can be structured, and if you take just enough of that, it can help you in your songwriting,” he says.

Holland is one of rock’s true renaissance men, a licensed pilot and certified flight instructor who volunteers for medical transport flights when he’s not piloting the band to gigs. He runs his own hot sauce company too — Gringo Bandito — just one more facet to a band that is arguably the most interesting in rock & roll.

“We just want to connect with the world, and SUPERCHARGED does that like a big punch in the face,” Holland says. “We're pumped to be putting this record out and to hit the road behind it next year, bringing the music to our fans who have been with us for so long.”

14.10.2024