For a band whose members are known for not taking themselves too seriously, THE DECLINE is a serious affair. If such a genre exists, "progressive punk" would be the best way to describe the single, 18-plus-minute track that makes up this EP. There are drastic lyrical shifts in THE DECLINE. Cynical tongue-in-cheek prose gives way to warnings concerning the glorification of violence. What follows is a diatribe covering the hypocrisy of the judicial system, the mind-numbing effects of television, and the loss of integrity. The conceptual thread that seems to connect it all is a general apathy in the collective consciousness of America, as Fat Mike sings, "The going gets tough / the tough get debt / don't pay attention / pay the rent / our next of kins pays for your sins." NOFX has delivered its rallying cry for independent thought, and it is THE DECLINE.