NOFX

Made up of outtakes from Coaster, previously released in the spring of '09, Cokie the Clown is pretty much what you would expect from NOFX, with their traditional brand of skate punk, but the engaging subject matter unveils some subtle maturity from the SoCal trailblazers. Rooted in the band's glorified drug use, the blistering fast but fairly dark title track pushes guitarist Eric Melvin in the spotlight as he sings lead in his distinctive untrained bellow while front-man Fat Mike handles the choruses with his classic snotty delivery. "Straight Outta Massachusetts" is a playful effort sure to become a live favourite, while the acoustic version of "My Orphan Year" is delivered sombrely and is much more effective then the Coaster version, as Fat Mike reveals his vulnerability with the sobering line "for once, I'm sincere." Releasing an EP of leftovers is standard NOFX and Cokie the Clown contains some of their most developed material to date, but make no mistake: these old punks haven't changed one bit.