5/10

Unlike most bands that have been around as long as they have, NOFX are extremely self-aware about their ageing presence in the world right now. In fact, the last decade has been littered with singles confronting the fact that they are not as well liked these days and most of their fans are committed entirely to their pre-2000 catalogue. But despite all the negativity and calls to hang up their ambitions, they continue to headline festivals and sell out shows around the world, and so return with their fourteenth studio album 'Single Album', a record that treads water more than we were hoping for.

While their output over the last two decades has been an uneven flow so far, there have been some solid additions to their repertoire that have seen continue to grow at times. And while 'Single Album' certainly has its far share of confrontational and pseudo-controversial moments, there seems to be a lot more moments where the band struggle to find that distinct energy once again. While the pace and frenzy of their reputation still remains throughout, there feels like this almost lacklustre approach to some of the songs, as if they are simply going through the motions and churning out any cliched punk groove they can think of.

What seems to be lacking in this NOFX album is the sheer tenacity behind their sound. While on the surface they feel more of less the same, the anger and fury just seems dampened this time around, making for a bit of a damp squib to listen to. There are still the odd glimmers of the old legends on here, but it mostly fails to get a rise like they used to.