The Kids Are Back In Town

The Adolescents
The Fastest Kid Alive
Concrete Jungle Records
Five Scoops of Bosco

Formed in late 1979 by Steve Soto and Tony Cadena, it only took one album for The Adolescents from Fullerton to forever cement themselves in the history of Californian punk rock.

The Adolescents returned home last night to play a concert at the Slidebar.

The group’s self-titled debut was released in 1981, and fuelled by tracks like “Amoeba” and “Kids Of The Black Hole”, it is now considered a classic of the genre in the same league as The Dead Kennedys’ Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables and Social Distortion’s Mommy’s Little Monster.

Following the record’s release however, the group would disappear largely into obscurity; break-ups, reformations and line-up changes all occurred frequently, and the band’s poor recorded output reflected this lack of stability.

For the past decade, The Adolescents have managed to maintain a somewhat steady line-up, and with numerous live shows under their belts, they have finally got around to putting out a new album. Let me be the first to say that I didn’t expect much from The Fastest Kid Alive, the band’s fifth full length in thirty years. Given their lacklustre track record since the early 80s, I figured it would be just another throwaway reunion album. Turns out I was wrong.

The main problem that usually seems to dog groups that reform after a long time out of the game is a lack of consistency. Within the punk genre, bands like The Misfits and The Damned are classic examples of this phenomenon; while the former managed one solid record after reforming (1997’s American Psycho), neither has managed to consistently live up to the quality of their early years. This is where The Fastest Kid Alive differs, with The Adolescents finally regaining the energy and vitally that made their debut such a memorable classic.

In a number of ways, The Fastest Kid Alive sees The Adolescents reprise many of the stylistic traits that characterised their material during the early 80s. In general, the tracks that make up the group’s latest record are all moderately fast, with thick chordal guitar riffs and galloping drums featured prominently throughout.

Most importantly, however, the three part vocal harmonies that the band helped pioneer on their debut are out in full force on the record, helping to add a sense of melodic depth that is often lacking from many modern punk outfits.

Perhaps the most apparent change in The Adolescents’ sound comes in the form of front man Tony Cadena’s vocals. While once famed for spitting out snotty hardcore hooks, Cadena’s voice has mellowed (and perhaps even improved) over time, with the singer now sounding far more like Greg Graffin than Darby Crash. The album’s clear but relatively unpolished production further serves to accentuate Cadena’s efforts, especially on key cuts like “Can’t Change The World With A Song” and “Serf City”.

While some might baulk at these changes, the truth is that The Adolescents are no longer the 20-something year olds they were when they recorded their debut; indeed, any attempt at replicating that album completely would have most likely ended in disaster.

While The Fastest Kid Alive may be nowhere near as revolutionary as The Adolescents’ first record, at the end of the day it is nonetheless a solid effort that is consistently enjoyable from start to finish. Despite the fact that most of the members of The Adolescents will soon be turning fifty, the group seem content to keep on kicking out the punk rock jams.

And with material this good, who can blame them?

Album Reviewed by Matthew Woodward
Mr. Woodward is a writer for News Hits