“Gone Away” mourns the death of a loved one.
From its sarcastic opening “Disclaimer” (which mocks the notion of parental discretion), this obscenity-strewn album plummets toward punk-rock bottom. The artist spends all day in bed binging on wine and oral sex on “Me & My Old Lady.” “Mota” promotes marijuana use and driving under the influence. Anti-authority anthems (“I Choose,” “All I Want”) encourage teens to rebel. Before claiming “I’m only happy when I’m in my misery,” “Cool to Hate” lashes out against teachers, jocks, cheerleaders and school in general (a hypocritical and insincere disrespect for education, considering the lead singer is working on a Ph.D. in microbiology). “Amazed” and “Way Down the Line” convey hopelessness, the latter assuring young listeners, “You’ll f— up just like your parents did.”
This follow-up to the record-breaking Smash is one bad Hombre. Take the facetious warning of “Disclaimer” seriously and “just don’t listen to it.”
