The Adolescents

O.C. Confidential

(Finger)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Born under a Reagan moon, The Adolescents thrived in throwing themselves against the grain of staunchly conservative Orange County. The band’s heyday was brief, but they played a vital role alongside bands like Social Distortion and Agent Orange (they tended to even swap members). The full Adolescents family tree is hard to follow, but O.C. Confidential represents about as close to a “reunion” as one could hope for, with singer Tony Cadena (a.k.a. Tony Montana) and bassist Steve Soto reporting back for duty, along with guitarists Frank Agnew and Frank Agnew Jr. (all 18 years of him).

A punk band celebrating their 25th anniversary with a new record and a tour is a risky proposition, especially for a band that hasn’t really been together for more than half of that time. The Adolescents can’t match the speed, piss and vinegar of their genre’s finest anymore, but they do themselves proud on O.C. Confidential, a collection of peppy, old-fashioned SoCal punk songs.

“Grew up in Orange County in the shadow of a mouse!” Cadena seethes. It’s a silly sentiment, but it’s a silly place, one that’s bred more than its share of malcontents over the years. O.C. Confidential, true to its title, is as informed by geography as ever, and the band also seems to have been pumping some political iron in their years off. But they haven’t forgotten the teenage misfit in them, either, as evidenced on tracks like “Pointless Teenage Anthem.” Righteous anger fuels the songs now more than ever, but the music itself is far from angry; this is summery, melodic, puckish punk rock.

Better yet, O.C. Confidential never sounds like a retread or a cheap cash-in; it sounds very of-the-moment, which stands as a testament to the impact that The Adolescents had on their punk progeny.