Despite now sitting on twelve albums, stretching back to a debut in ’88 with Liberal Animation, Californian four-piece NOFX have refused to alter their style – sticking firm to politically motivated punk, whilst keeping things fresh with liberal injections of ska, comedy and self-deprecation.
Their latest single, ’This Machine Is 4′ proves no exception – boasting simple, but furiously fast power chords, and aggressive vocals that could be pulled straight out of some 90′s skate park:
Feed the Rich / And cheat the poor / That’s what this machine is for / Turning bellies in to stars / Then repeating
And just incase you’re wondering just what the references to ‘bellies’ are, bassist / vocalist Fat Mike has revealed that the song is in fact based on a story by children’s author Dr. Suess. No, it’s not the one where the Cat in the Hat dyes his hair blue and campaigns against social oppression (though that is one of my favourites), but ‘The Sneetches‘ - an anti-racism story in which a businessman exploits downtrodden, jealous creatures in to using his appearance-changing inventions.
‘This Machine Is 4′ will feature on the band’s upcoming release, Self Entitled, due September 10th. Like most great modern punk albums, it spits its message out in under 30 minutes, so if you’re feeling particularly angry and have half an hour to spare, you may want to check it out.
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