Off! make no bones about their influences: those moments in the late 70s when West Coast skate punk morphed into hardcore. But that’s forgivable because singer Keith Morris practically invented the genre as frontman for Black Flag and Circle Jerks.
Joined in Off! by members of Redd Kross, Rocket From The Crypt and Burning Brides, here Morris creates a galvanised energy rush of noise and suburban discontent that’s true to the original blueprint, and seems utterly effected by the fact it’s a fifty-something man singing about betrayal, being pushed around, false leaders and other such hardcore themes.
The excellent cover artwork by Raymond Pettibon – now an internationally acclaimed artist in his own right – shows how far some hardcore exponents have come, without ever really changing.
16 songs. 16 minutes. What’s not to love?
