Legendary Southern California punk rockers Descendents‘ eighth studio album, 9th & Walnut, shows they still have the same thrashy, proto-skate and pop-punk energy from their early days. This album is an interesting specimen among the band’s sporadic releases, as the songs were written between 1977 and 1980 and recorded over two separate periods during 2002 and 2020.

The songs are fairly short and self-contained, as a Descendents fan might expect, seldom breaking the two-minute mark. With 16 new songs and two new recordings of classics “Ride the Wild” and “It’s a Hectic World,” the album is brief in its runtime. It’s no Infest record, but new listeners may feel the album is eager to finish almost as soon as it begins.

The album opens with “Sailor’s Choice,” a fun surf-rock-inspired jam, and “Crepe Suzette,” a bass-led, wailing thrasher that starts off as a seemingly hokey love song that turns gradually more sinister and violent. “You Make Me Sick” features a plucky arrangement that feels eerily reminiscent of The Ramones’ “Blitzkreig Bop.” Lead singer Milo Aukerman bashes sellouts and those desperate to make money in the rat race of life.

“Lullaby” uses a snare roll to build into blasting electric guitars, as Aukerman begins taunting the subject of the song as a deceptive charlatan everyone can see through. “Nightage” takes a more decidedly emotional and somber note, detailing a failing relationship between the song’s narrator and his girlfriend, as he self-medicates in order to cope with the stress.

“Tired of Being Tired” maintains this tone and is ambiguously about feelings of dejection as a result of either being or perceiving being seen as unwanted. You could easily interpret it as the internal monologue of a depressive person’s state of mind. “Grudge,” despite being shorter on the lyrical end, provides a scathing critique of bigotry as it satirizes the narrow and cynical worldview of someone with a chip on his shoulder.

“Mohicans” serves as a history of punk and new wave music, with some jabs taken at the genre’s use of synths and lighter sounds, making this track feel pretty dated in retrospect. “Like the Way I Know” is a thrashing number about owning one’s self-image, regardless of other people’s perceptions. The only song that doesn’t quite deliver is “To Remember,” steady driving rock track colored by the way Aukerman sings about the fallout between a couple after a night of partying. It recalls Lit pop-punk anthem “My Worst Enemy,” albeit without the tongue-in-cheek self-awareness that made that song fun.

Overall, 9th & Walnut delivers a package most fans of bands who’ve been around a few decades wish they could have: new music from their favorite artists in their prime. Descendents have delivered a captivating time capsule that’s been sitting on the back-burner.

Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.