Never Trust a Hippy - EP

Album Review

Released just a month prior to their 2006 full-length, Wolves in Wolves' Clothing, Never Trust a Hippy served as just a little snack to tide over hungry fans waiting for NOFX's first proper studio album since 2003's War on Errorism. That doesn't mean, however, that the band haphazardly threw together this EP merely for kicks. On the contrary, Fat Mike and crew have packed six songs into 13 minutes of cutting observation and criticism. On "The Marxist Brothers," the band uses a backdrop that recalls the Clash's "London Calling" to underline ironic remarks about contemporary anarchists ("I get frequent flyer mileage and a booklet of upgrades/So next time I visit the Third World I won't have to fly second class"). Religious overtones also dot the entire release, with a rebellious, drug-taking Jesus resurrected to beat up Mel Gibson and collect his royalty checks in "I'm Going to Hell for This One," while the acoustic "You're Wrong" lets all right-wing and religious folk know their interpretation of the Bible and attitudes toward other issues are, well, wrong. Not for the uptight or conservative — after all, the album artwork depicts NOFX kicking it and getting drunk with Jesus — if this EP is any indication of their upcoming album, fans should be met with something rather tasty.