Every time I get an album from Fat I expect three things from the band. The first thing is at least one song directly talking about George Bush (in this case “Texas”). Second, that if the CD goes in my computer, it will contain a PETA video (yup, it’s on there). And third, that the record is going to be big, angry punk trucking rock meant to be played loud. This definitely fits that profile. I love Good Riddance; to me, they have that mid-‘90s, big guitar, fast drums sound perfected by bands like Pennywise and Millencolin, and pre-Americana Offspring. Judging by the fact that all those bands are way cool, that makes Good Riddance cool in my book.

(Fat Wreck Chords, PO Box 193690, San Francisco, CA 94119-3690)