NOFX – “First Ditch Effort” [Album Review]

Ah NOFX, here is a band that has been at the height of their game since their breakthrough fifth album, 1994’s punk rock masterpiece Punk In Drublic. Now, 22 years on they have maintained the true spirit of punk and refuse to change with the times like so many punk bands of their generation. With the release of their thirtieth studio album, First Ditch Effort, NOFX are making the message load and clear; they are here to rock, party and push the true spirit of punk!

Like their other releases, First Ditch Effort touches of themes like politics, partying and, well, in true NOFX fashion, anything they feel like. The opening song “Six Years On Dope” is a fast-paced punk rock tune in its purest form with Fat Mike’s distinct screaming vocals, Eric Melvin and El Hefe’s simple-yet-catchy guitar riffs all held together with Mike’s bass lines and Erik Sandin’s energetic drum beats.

“Sid And Nancy” is one hell of a fun track all about the true life Romeo and Juliet story that had a punk rock twist, taking a look at the conspiracy theory about who was responsible for their deaths and concluding that it was actually Nancy that killed Sid! “Oxy Moronic” has Mike questioning where the real war on drugs lies whilst “I Don’t Like Me Anymore” see’s Mike questioning if he actually likes the person he’s become, both tunes cover quite serious subjects but all with that feel-good style that NOFX are known for. Next up. “Last Ditch Effort” tells the tail of how Mike enjoys a touch of cross-dressing by wearing women’s underwear with “I’m A Transvest-Lite”. Closing the album, “Generation Z” goes into Mike’s concerns about the future of the planet and how the next generation will cope with what we’ve done to mother earth.

I have always been a fan of the punk scene with NOFX being one of my top-rated bands in this genre and, despite the serious nature of some of the songs, the band do it all with a tongue-in-cheek, humorous approach diluting these themes somewhat. But that’s what punk rock is all about, right? This, could be said, is the reason punk rock has always been misunderstood by the more conservative person. If I have anything negative to say about NOFX’s latest offering it would be that it really is no different from previous albums, but that, in and of itself, is part of the band’s charm and should at any point they read this review, I somehow doubt they would take it personally. In fact, they would more likely write a song about it.

First Ditch Effort Track Listing:

01. Six Years On Dope
02. Happy Fathers Day
03. Sid And Nancy
04. California Drought
05. Oxy Moronic
06. I Don’t Like Me Anymore
07. I’m A Transvest-Lite
08. Ditch Effort
09. Dead Beat Mom
10. Bye Bye Biopsy Girl
11. It Ain’t Lonely At The Bottom
12. I’m So Sorry Tony
13. Generation Z

Run Time: 33:11
Release Date: October 7, 2016

Check out the album First Ditch Effort