How many times a day do I have to listen to the Presidents of the United States of America play “Peaches”? It’s everywhere I go. “Peaches” in the record store, “Peaches” in the smoke shop, “Peaches” in the grocery store—absurd! It’s off a monumental album, settled among other hits like “Lump” and “Back Porch,” but you only ever hear the same few songs off it played. It’s a shame, as the band has managed to put out consistently spectacular records, never having a dip in quality throughout their thirty-year career. While some of those other records did well, their second album, II, even went platinum; some were utter flops. So what’s the deal? Why did albums like These Are the Good Times People crash and burn?
I can say for certain it’s not an issue with the quality of the album. You’ll get plenty of what you want from a Presidents album from These are the Good Times, people; it’s got that same short, sweet punk sound that made the band famous. It also has a touch of alt-rock, which may be a turn-off for some; it’s a bit more bubbly than their hits, but I feel it gives it some personality. The album flows smoothly from one song to the next, never making any shifts in tempo or style that are so great they shock the listener.
When it comes right down to it, it seems like the biggest thing working against These Are the Good Times People was timing. The album dropped in 2008, thirteen years after the release of their self-titled first album. The times had changed; by the time the Clinton administration had faded into history and the Great Recession was hot news, people just weren’t interested in the Presidents distinctly ‘90s style of punk rock.
Further damning the record was that alternative twist I mentioned earlier. An obvious attempt to modernize the album, by the times standards anyway, which in all likelihood drove away longtime fans. For a genre that prioritizes individuality and specific taste, punks sure do fall into a rigid structure. It’s a style, a scene, a movement, and those who have dedicated their lives to it are ride or die. But hot damn, do some of these people freak out over the tiniest deviations. You should see some of the discourse that goes on in punk forums over the proper way to decorate your battle vest. Oldheads straining themselves screaming about the right place to place a patch or whether it’s appropriate to place pins in certain positions. The Presidents going alt could have struck these fans as them going soft, and that’s not punk, brother. What a fickle thing the music business can be.
It’s nothing short of a shame that These Are the Good Times People failed to catch the public eye. The album holds up today; in fact, if they were to have released it in 2025, I think it would have been much better received. Unfortunately, sometimes a good thing strikes out. These Are the Good Times People is a lesson, a demonstration that no matter how good your art is, sometimes it doesn’t perform. Would things have been different had The Presidents stuck to a purely traditional sound for the record? No, probably not. Then it would have failed to capture any public attention; we were flat out done with the sound by ‘08, and the diehard punks couldn’t have driven the record to popularity on their own. So should they have gone the other way, trying their hand at a full-length alternative album? Again, I would have to say no. The Presidents were a staple of a very specific subset of punk, and by the 2000s it was too late to change that image. The name was poison; they could have put out a ripping album of the pseudo-club hits that were taking off at the time, and it still would have failed just for being a President's record.
The fact is the band got a raw deal. This is the kind of thing that can send an artist spiraling, wondering if they will ever put out another worthwhile piece again when in reality their work is just as good as ever. Despite multiple breakups, replaced band members, and allegedly permanent hiatuses, the Presidents maintained the quality of their sound. They may never again see that level of popularity they enjoyed in the ‘90s, but they have been better received in recent years than they were in the 2000s. Their 2014 album, Kudos to You, managed to outperform These Are the Good Times People, even if it did still fail to land a chart position. The Presidents have rereleased both their debut album and their demo tape, FROGGYSTYLE, so they must have some interest in the band still. Maybe in a few years we’ll get a new album that will excel where the last few have floundered. In the meantime, listen to These Are the Good Times People. If you haven’t heard it yet, then you’re missing out, and if you have, well, it’s been too long; better go get a refresher.
