West Coast punk vets the Descendents will return in March with a new album, their seventh and first since 1996. After seven years off, the band was finally able to lure vocalist Milo Aukerman away from his science job. "He works on trying to make corn grow more efficiently," says drummer Bill Stevenson. "And we write a lot of songs about food, so that just fits in with us perfectly."

Food songs on the upcoming record include "Blast Off" -- "about having a bad chili-related incident in the bathroom," Stevenson says -- and "Anchor Grill," about "responsibilities taking the fun out of life."

There are also some new facets to the material, recorded live at the band's Blasting Room studio in Colorado: "Maddie" is an adventurous bit of surf rock with multiple harmonies. "It operates in I don't even know how many keys," Stevenson says. "It almost sounds Schoenbergish or Bartokish in that your can never predict where the tonic sensor will fall next."

And according to Stevenson, another new track called "Alive" sounds like "the Screaming Trees playing a Doors song."

Stevenson and his high school buddy Aukerman made their debut as the Descendents with a send-off, 1981's Milo Goes to College, and their recording schedule has been sporadic ever since then. "I've adopted a 'I really don't care what everyone thinks' kind of attitude," Stevenson says. "I don't know if it's just because I had my fortieth birthday or what."

KIRK MILLER
(September 30, 2003)