Not too much has changed since we last left
blink-182
. You might hear the same snap, crackle, and pop that the trio has prided themselves on for almost ten years. There's even the continual cabbage-patch screech of
Tom Delonge
and support for rampant teen angst. But five albums later, these San Diego natives grab their rosy-cheek punkadelics and add a bit more of a flamboyant, passionate maturation on
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
. When
Enema of the State
leaped onto the charts in 1999, the lyrical direction was 90 percent party-boy mentality, leaving little room for traces of a growth spurt. And while we're still feeling the continual back-drip of tracks from
Enema
, the fresh plethora of tunes from these rambunctious
Toys-R-Us
rockers have more purpose than ever. With a fight-for-your-right joviality that's often irresistible, songs like
"Anthem Part 2"
and
"Stay Together for the Kids"
house a indomitable school-kid voice where a surging vapor of knockout speed chords meet wrecking-ball percussion. The meanings are bucketed and spilled, with lines like "If we're f*cked up/You're to blame" (
). And forget about escaping lyrics such as, "I'll never talk to you again/Unless your dad 'ill suck me off," which stems from the hilarious, almost brilliant 42-second clash called
"Happy Holidays, You Bastard."
"First Date"
"Roller Coaster"
are only a couple of their tunes that act as therapy for post-pubescent dilemma, also present on previous efforts like
Dude Ranch
. Each song about the rotten girlfriend or unhip parent speaks loud and often to the 2000
MTV
generation. Nevertheless, the dumped-in-the-amusement-park tone and lyrical progression are sharp, if not entertaining. The band's stint on
the Vans Warped Tour
, with veteran punksters such as
Pennywise
Rancid
, has become a supreme outlet for
.
Take Off Your Pants
is one of their finest works to date, with almost every track sporting a commanding articulation and new-school
punk
sounds. They've definitely put a big-time notch in the win column. ~ Darren Ratner