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Bad Religion—the so-called “Grandfathers” of the Southern California punk rock scene—recently released a preview track from their upcoming album The Dissent of Man. The song, titled “The Devil un Stitches”, is available for streaming via Epitaph Records’ website or right here.
Over the course of their 30-year career, Bad Religion has released 14 studio albums and have influenced generations of bored suburban teenagers with their infectious blend of high-tempo punk rock overlaid with intelligent lyrics sung with the band’s trademark “oozin’ ahhs” vocals. Moreso than any of their peers or their followers, Bad Religion makes songs that one cannot help but sing along to, regardless of whether it’s about politics, religion, science, or just life in general. And, since guitarist and co-songwriter Brett Gurewitz’s return on 2002’s The Process of Belief the band has defied critics and even time itself, continuing to get better and better as the years go on.
Most musicians want to grow, evolve, and experiment over the courses of their careers—as well they should. However, as fans we tend to remember the instances where that experimentation has (in our humble opinions) gone wrong more often than the times when it has gone right. On the other hand, we’ll also criticize other artists who produce record after record with the same overall sound and feel, saying that they’re stuck in a rut or not being creative. Bad Religion is a band who has received criticism from both points-of-view—too much experimentation on 1982’s Into The Unknown and not enough experimentation on everything else.
However, as the old saying goes ”…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…”. While the band doesn’t stray from their tried-and-true sound or the theme of their music, they do it today with as much energy and spirit as they always have, and still manage to create something that sounds current and relevant using the same tools that they did 30 years ago. If “The Devil in Stitches” is any indication, we’re in for another great album with The Dissent of Man.
