Milo Goes to College

A classic early punk pop (and rock) album from California. The album title (Milo Goes to College) is due to the fact the singer (Milo Aukerman) was leaving the band and going to become a molecular biologist. He did, but kept on returning to the band in the following decades. The classic album cover is a great cartoon version of the man and the band's mascot. The song lyrics are sometimes a bit too stupid, but the songs are catchy as hell.

One of my personal favorite punk albums; it is punchy and catchy in equal measure! Truly, this album is a blueprint for skate punk and really informed melodic hardcore and pop punk for decades to come. This is honestly very, very close to a 10/10 for me, but the homophobic stains on track 3 really are gross. I know the band luckily disavowed it and now uses different lyrics in concerts (thank god), but it still is such a shame.

Oh classic hardcore. 15 songs, just under 23 minutes. I feel like this represented a limited sound that pretty much played its hand in a few years and what didn't move on to broader fields sort of calcified. But these were the OG heirs of Punk and must be given their due.

I don't have anything pivotal to add the the two four-star reviews topping this section as of late September 2025. Only four things, that I'll try to sum up as fast as possible: 1) Teenager angst and early eighties hardcore punk provocation can justify many things... That said, the homophobia expressed at the end of "I'm Not A Loser" is appalling. So here's what frontman Milo Aukerman had to say about those lyrics many years later... "A song like ‘I’m Not a Loser’ is completely unfiltered. That can come with some negatives too. [Guitar player] Frank [Navetta] wrote that and at the time, it was the ultimate teenage rage. It was targeting not gay people but the jocks at our school. The language is the hot button. These days, I’ve altered that. I want to get across the point of ‘you suck,’ but it’s been misunderstood. We have a few songs that we’ve come to regret how they’ve been interpreted." Yeah, Aukerman has stopped singing those homophobic slurs in the song for a long time now, because even aimed at heterosexual jocks, everyone today knows how that sort of language is dumb and destructive. Milo has indeed learned a lot since his years as a young adult. 2) Of course, there's at least a couple of other "unfiltered" moments like that in this debut, and it would probably be nonsensical to expunge those extra unfiltered moments from those other songs' lyrics -- not to mention impossible without altering the original intent of the latter. Some sort of hardcore punk "hot button" indeed. But understanding the context doesn't mean you can't be critical to some of the lines used on those two or three songs... 3) Musically speaking, *Milo Goes To College* has a quite rocky start on its first half -- derivative of better early hardcore acts such as Minor Threat, without packing the same punch from the get-go. But starting with the awesome Tony Lombardo-penned *Suburban Homes* -- whose relatively sophisticated instrumental harmonies in a punk context nicely serve the sardonic nature of the song, lambasting suburban conformity -- the second side takes off to an anthemic level that makes the whole thing a precious addition to any collection of punk records. Bill Stevenson's propulsive drums do wonders on "Kabuki Girl", as in other cuts from this LP. Frank Navetta was a six-strings powerhouse in most of those cuts too. And Aukerman's vocal performance is truly unhinged and absolutely thrilling in that second half. It's also fun to hear the boys try their hand at vocal harmonies in "Statue of Liberty" and closer "Jean Is Dead" -- with mixed yet endearing results. For better or for worse, what we have here is the birthing act of pop punk. Add two other highlights that are both filled with many interesting minor undertones -- "Bikeage", an angular and unsettling number about a 15-year-old junkie prostitute, and banger "Hope", a rough diamond about teenage lust and envy, inspired by a real break-up Aukerman went through -- and the whole second side comes off as near-perfect. 4) I have seen that written a couple of times elsewhere, but as sincere as my praise to all the musicians up there is, I'm also one to consider that the secret sauce in the first line-up of Descendents is Tony Lombardo. His very melodic basslines are so striking, and I can easily imagine how hearing them on this record for the first time must have been an ear-opener for someone like NOFX's Fat Mike. Also, it's amazing to think that Lombardo was eighteen years older than the rest of the band members who performed in this debut. Like, when the guy was their age, Bob Dylan, The Byrds and The Beatles were topping the charts. Some people know how to stay young for sure. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes: 5 + 3.5. Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 47 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 61 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 111 --- Hey, Émile. J'ai enfin trouvé le temps de répondre ! Regarde sous la review de *Young, Loud And Snotty* des Dead Boys !

I was pretty sure I saw Descendents on the warped tour in the late 90’s or early 2000’s, but now that I’m thinking about it, it was ALL, the band they formed when Milo went to graduate school. Correct me if my Descendents history is incorrect, thanks. Anyway, Milo Goes to College is a classic California punk record, highly influential on pop punk and, at 22 minutes, it’s succinct and to the point. If you were to compile a less Anglocentric version of the main list, this should be a no-brainer for inclusion.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: I’m not a loser, M-16, I’m not a punk, Suburban home, Kabuki girl, Marriage

This is a classic. I always forget it's from 82 and not more like 87. Short, punchy, catchy. Pretty childish but that's ok. 5/5.

One of (if not) my favourite classic hardcore records. The energy is totally infectious, yet the songs are not just three chord stomps. Great playing too, especially from the bass. Keep the classics coming

I considered submitting this myself, so I'm glad to see someone else did. Great album and highly influential, and a grievous omission from the original list.

Some great fuck you punk. As in, great punk to listen to and shout "fuck you!"

Early punk doing early punk things

8/10 super fun punk music, kinda dumb but in a very enjoyable way

Hardcore punk, melodic hardcore. Un 4 por el intento punk.

A silly little one. I liked the bluntness of it all, even if they really all sound similar. 8/10

Short, fast, and lots of fun. An absolute blast, even if it might not be their best work.

Enjoyable punk music that was short and sweet enough for me to appreciate.

Milo Goes To College is a good addition to a historic list because it's a fine example of early and influential hardcore, and it's a fun frenetic listen, but for me it just isn't massively to my tastes and feels dated. Still, 3/5 because it's good and laid the foundations for an awful lot of what came later.

A lean, high energy hardcore classic. Mildly crass and properly snotty. Blink and you'll miss it pacing. Lyrically a bit hard to take, but still a fun listen. Fave Songs: I'm Not a Punk, Myage, Tonyage, Suburban Home, Parents, Statue of Liberty

I can see how this kind of punk morphed into Blink-182 and Sum-41. Let’s just say I didn’t match the energy of this.

I don't like punk