Subtlety Isn’t a Strength for Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Prodigy's electronic assault and crossover appeal to rock audiences is an obvious touchstone. The Beasties' fusion of hip-hop with punk's attitude is another, mirrored in Does It Offend You's punk-rock take on dance music. And the ferocious energy of Rage's live show is an obvious inspiration for the group's on-stage antics. Coop's later experiences as a DJ and promoter provided the final pieces of the puzzle, but rock and roll always played a vital role in his musical life.

"I used to DJ drum-and-bass and techno," he explains. "I used to put on squat parties and things like that, warehouse parties. I always listened to more band music; I'd always go out and play DJ shows and play electronic music. But when I was in my own bedroom, I'd be listening to rock music. So I think that's where the sort of idea of Does It Offend You came from — just like the merging of the two things."

Despite the focus on over-the-top sound and performance, Coop says the act is evolving toward a more rounded repertoire.

"In our show now, we've got slower tracks as well," he points out. "We've kind of grown up a bit and realized that you can't have an hour and fifteen minutes of a total onslaught of electro-rock sort of thing. So we've got tracks where we can chill out a bit, we've got poppier stuff, but the heart of the band is, like, to have a raucous live show and really go through it on stage."

That evolution can be heard on several album tracks, most notably "Dawn of the Dead" and "Being Bad Feels Pretty Good," tracks that recall the more laid-back but still eminently danceable sounds of groups like the Human League. Whether these tracks will catch on with fans as well as the blistering electro anthems the group has built its reputation on remains to be seen.

"We wanted to show the yin and the yang of our personalities," says Coop. "We're not fully into electro bangers all the time. When we get home, we like to listen to other stuff. So we've shown our other influences, like '80s pop music and stuff like that. I think you'll be surprised. You might be a little bit shocked — I think a few people are — but hopefully you'll like it.

"We were just discussing this earlier today, saying in America it's not as bad as it is in England. In England, people really strive to put you in a box and say this is what this band is," adds Coop. "But in America, we found that when we're out there, that everyone, the crowds, were so open and didn't care what you were about. They just wanted to see you do a good show — whereas in England, you get, like, little scenes, little crowds of people that come to all the gigs, which can be annoying when you want to break out of a certain thing."

If it can succeed in broadening its appeal, Does It Offend You may be able to stave off the imminent expiration of its of-the-moment sound. In the meantime, the band is touring incessantly, bringing the party and living up to the title of one of its signature songs, "We Are Rock Stars."

"We've been constantly on the road for about a year and a half," notes Coop. "We just had ten days off, really, just last week, because we'd been touring so much that we kind of lost all touch with reality. We started to have a few arguments and stuff, just petty things, really. But now we're all ready to go back out again and just try and do our best in America and see what people think of us."