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American punk rock band

The Adolescents are an American punk rock band formed in Fullerton, California in 1979. Part of the hardcore punk movement in southern California in the early 1980s, they were one of the main punk acts to emerge from Orange County, along with their peers in Agent Orange and Social Distortion. Founding bassist Steve Soto was the sole constant member of the band since its inception until his 2018 death, with singer Tony Reflex being in the group for all but one album. During the 1980s the band went through several lineup changes, breakups, and reunions, most involving drummer Casey Royer and guitarist brothers Rikk, Frank, and Alfie Agnew. During that decade, they released three albums: Adolescents (1981), Brats in Battalions (1987), and Balboa Fun*Zone (1988, without Reflex), then broke up in April 1989. Most of the members remained active in other musical projects, and a reunion of most of the early members in 2001 resulted in the comeback album OC Confidential (2005). Soto and Reflex have been the band's only constant members and primary songwriters since then, anchoring lineups that have released five more studio albums: The Fastest Kid Alive (2011), Presumed Insolent (2013), La Vendetta (2014), Manifest Density (2016) and Cropduster (2018). On June 27, 2018, Soto died at the age of 54 leaving Reflex as the only original founding member. Brad Logan replaced Soto and the band's tenth album, Russian Spider Dump, was released in October 2020. The band released their eleventh album, Caesar Salad Days, in July 2023.

Prior to forming the Adolescents, the early band members were part of various formative punk rock groups in Fullerton, California during their teenage years in the late 1970s: Guitarist Rikk Agnew and drummer Casey Royer had played in the Detours and with Agnew's younger brother Frank in the early lineup of Social Distortion, while bassist Steve Soto was a founding member of Agent Orange. Soto met Tony Brandenburg at an Agent Orange show in November 1979, and the two, both aged 16, formed a bond, as Soto recalled: "I struck up a conversation with Tony. He was out of control and we became fast friends". "We would talk about music and the problems we were having in high school and about our weight problems", Brandenburg later recalled; "We found that we had a lot in common weight wise—we were polar opposites [Soto was overweight while Brandenburg was tall and thin]—but neither of us could change it. All of our problems on the high school scene were caused by our musical taste and our weight. We were the object of constant ridicule, but what was worse was we couldn't get girls". Soto thought Brandenburg would make a good singer, and suggested this to Rikk Agnew, who at the time used the stage name General Hospital (after the television show). Soto said: "The General was going to start a new band and I suggested Tony as the singer. He was into the idea but for some reason he ended up reuniting with his old band the Detours instead." Soto invited Rikk Agnew to join them in the group; he declined but suggested his younger brother Frank. "The band made life liveable", recalled Brandenburg; "High school was still hell, and when a couple of people found out I was in a punk band the ridicule escalated". O'Donovan and Williams both left the band in June 1980. "With the addition of Rikk and Casey, we'd moved to the next level", recalled Frank Agnew, "They were older and more experienced, so we improved quickly". The Adolescents also opened for the Germs at the Germs' final show, on December 3, 1980 at the Starwood. Released the following month, it was one of the first hardcore punk records to be widely distributed throughout the United States, and became one of the best selling California hardcore albums behind the Dead Kennedys' Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980), selling over 10,000 copies. He was replaced in the Adolescents by Pat Smear, formerly of the Germs. After touring through much of the second half of 1986, Alfie Agnew left the band at the end of the year to attend college and was replaced by Dan Colburn. By the end of 1987, however, Brandenburg and Colburn both left the band. with the same line up as Balboa Fun*Zone, but eventually broke up in April 1989 before it could be completed. The Blue Album lineup reunited for a show in December 1989 at the Reseda Country Club, which was recorded and released eight years later as the live album Return to the Black Hole (Amsterdamned Records, 1997).

Following the Adolescents' breakup, most of the members remained active in other projects. Soto formed the parody group Manic Hispanic in 1992 with Gabby Gaborno and other Chicano punk musicians, issuing their first album, The Menudo Incident, that year. He, Hanson, and Frank Agnew simultaneously started a band called Joyride, but Frank soon left to focus on his family life. 22 Jacks continued until 2001, issuing two more albums: Overserved (1998) and Going North (1999). His third solo album, Turtle, was released in 1992. Following the Flower Leperds, Tony Brandenburg started a new group, Sister Goddamn, who issued two albums, Portrait in Crayon (1992) and Folksongs of the Spanish Inquisition (1995). Brandenburg (now using the stage name Tony Reflex), Royer, and Rikk Agnew also formed ADZ; the group's name was a shortened form of Adolescents. Royer and Agnew both left ADZ after the band's first album, Where Were You? (1992); both had substance abuse issues. Royer was addicted to heroin, while Agnew abused a variety of drugs and drank alcohol excessively throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, becoming obese in the process. Brandenburg continued ADZ with other members, issuing two more albums during the 1990s: 1995's Piper at the Gates of Downey (with Frank Agnew playing lead guitar on five tracks) and 1998's Transmissions from Planet Speedball.

The Blue Album lineup of Reflex, Soto, Royer, and Rikk and Frank Agnew reunited again in 2001 to play a birthday party for Reflex's wife. Rikk Agnew, however, continued to drink excessively and was not invested in the reunion. He left the band by the end of 2003, halfway through the recording process for a new album. OC Confidential followed that July through Finger Records. For touring in support of the album, the band was joined by Frank Agnew's son, Frank Agnew, Jr., on second guitar. Dan Root took Harrison's guitar position in 2010, and the Adolescents released the American Dogs in Europe EP in conjunction with a European tour. This was followed by the band's sixth studio album, Presumed Insolent (2013). Del Rio was replaced by Mike Cambra, and McKnight by Leroy Merlin, for 2014's La Vendetta , which was given a North American release the following year by Frontier Records. Hot War, a split EP with Russian band Svetlanas, followed in 2015, containing one song from Presumed Insolent and one from La Vendetta The Adolescents' released Manifest Density, was released July 8, 2016 by Concrete Jungle, with Ian Taylor taking Merlin's place as rhythm guitarist. On June 27, 2018, bassist and founding member Steve Soto died at the age of 54, days after completing an East coast tour with the band. Cause of death is unknown. Tony Reflex released a statement saying "With heavy heart I share the passing of Steve Soto, my friend and bandmate since 1979. I don't know what to do. Or to say. Goodbye my brother." The band released Cropduster, their ninth album and final album with Soto, on July 20, 2018. On July 16, 2018, Leftöver Crack's Brad Logan joined band following Soto's passing. The band released Russian Spider Dump, their tenth album and first without Soto and first with Logan, on October 23, 2020. On July 14, 2023, the band released their eleventh studio album, Caesar Salad Days.