Descendents

West Coast punk band the Descendents have always occupied a special place in the hearts of aficionados of the 1980s LA punk scene. The seven albums released during their 1981-89 heyday combine good, solid playing with quirky, often amusing songs driven by a punchy, melodic bass line. It was a style which endeared them to the burgeoning West Coast new wave scene growing within the clubs and bars of Los Angeles. The band started in 1979 as a trio and released the single Ride The Wild, it bombed and the band promptly disappeared before resurfacing in 1981 as a four-piece incorporating Milo Aukerman, a popular figure in the local LA music scene. The band's self-deprecating humour is captured in their debut album title Milo Goes To College released in 1982 following Aukerman's decision to go to university to study biochemstry. Since the late '80s the band have had prolonged periods of inactivity punctuated by sporadic album releases - just three in a 20-year period. Their 2016 release, Hypercaffium Spazzinate was well-received by critics and contains a selection of songs written in the Descendents' characteristically witty style reflecting on the inevitability of growing up.