A couple years after the 2005 release of The Warrior Code, the Dropkick Murphys have left the comfort of their label Hellcat Records and have started their own imprint, Born & Bred Records. The Meanest of Times is their first project on Born & Bred, and it’s a helluva success.

One might wonder at the wisdom of leaving something that was obviously working well; two tracks from Warrior Code found their way into the hearts and soundtracks of some mighty big directors and their films. The Farrelly Brothers used “Tessie” in Fever Pitch and Martin Scorsese saw fit to add “Shipping up to Boston” to The Departed soundtrack.

And here’s an open plea to Darren Aronofsky, director of The Fighter, the boxing flick about “Irish” Micky Ward that is currently in production. Keep the lovely synchronicities going here – the title track "Warrior Code" was written about Ward. And you’ve got the cool combo of Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg who were last together in The Departed. And the movie is based, not in Boston, but just about 30 minutes north, in Lowell. Come on man, do I have to spell it out for you?

But on to The Meanest of Times.

There is something about Dropkick Murphys’ brand of Celtic craziness that gives us the best kind of punk paradox. The in-your-face attitude and relentless tempo – sometimes peppy, sometimes frantic – coupled with lyrics that not only speak of anger, mischief, whiskey and death, but of heartbreak and God, home and hearth, and family, with all its inherent love and pain.

Of course, many of these Times offerings speak to the Irish Diaspora, especially the Murphys’ childhood Boston years. DKM front man Al Barr says, “…it’s about redemption. It’s about coming up in the world and the way it shapes you. It’s about not taking your family and friends for granted and living in the moment.” Bassist Ken Casey adds, “Growing up, I saw my share of hard times...I think a lot of us did. But looking back on it, I wouldn’t trade them for anything, because those hard times made us all who we are today.”