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The Offspring‘s Dexter Holland says the state of today’s music industry forced the band to ‘dig a little bit deeper’ when writing and recording their upcoming ninth studio album, ‘Days Go By.’

For their first disc in four years, Offspring singer Dexter Holland was not content with just going through the motions on ‘Days Go By.’ “We’re down to try different things musically,” Holland explains to Rolling Stone. “This is our ninth record, so we’ve got to dig a little bit deeper, and that’s what we want to do as well. If you were a rock band in the ’80s, you kind of had to stick to one thing. Now, in this age of Coachella and European festivals and stuff, it’s kind of anything goes, so that allowed us to try different things.”

Holland adds that he and the band put in overtime trying to perfect ‘Days Go By.’ “I know no one’s gonna buy our album, but I still spend two years trying to make a great record,” Holland says jokingly. “If you’re in a band, if it’s really what you care about, then that stuff isn’t what’s important. You can’t help the fact that you’ve got to make something great; it’s got to be sequenced right, no matter what.”

With all their focus locked on the new album, the band failed to realize that they were nearing a special milestone in their career — the 20th anniversary of their sophomore effort, ‘Ignition.’ “It just kind of hit me about a month ago: ‘Oh f—, this has been 20 years!’” reveals Holland. The band celebrated the occasion by playing the album front to back at an intimate gig in Long Beach, California.

‘Days Go By’ is also the name of the lead single from the album that will hit digital outlets and stores on June 26. Holland reveals that the song is inspired by — or meant to inspire — those affected by the hard times facing the world today. “You’ve gotta pick yourself up and figure out how to move on,” Holland explains. “So I guess acknowledging that it’s been tough, but also having a message of hope, is what I really wanted people to take away from this record.”

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