NOFX have dropped what may be one of their last ever new songs, teaming up with Codefendants for a furious punk collaboration titled “What Are We Doing This For”.
The track emerges from the unfinished sessions of what was meant to be NOFX’s final album. According to Fat Mike, while the band never completed the record, he did lay down vocals on a handful of songs. This new cut is one of them – a fiery snapshot of the band’s closing moments, heightened by the presence of Codefendants.
In classic tongue-in-cheek Fat Mike fashion, the frontman explained the song’s journey, “NOFX never finished our last album. Boo! But we did manage to record drums and guitars on several songs, and I finished vocals on four of them. This is one of those songs. I liked the lyrics, but it needs two singers. I tried it with Melvin, but it was kinda poopee. So I asked the singers of Codefendants to sing this song with me ‘cause they’re good at songs with way too many lyrics. Some people call it rapping.”
He also revealed that guitarist El Hefe, who Fat Mike jokingly referred to as “a Mexican I used to be in a band with,” added the guitar leads that complete the track’s chaotic energy. “These leads make my ears happy,” Mike said.
For Codefendants, who formed as Fat Mike’s genre-bending side project blending punk, hip-hop, and hardcore, recording with NOFX early in their journey was nothing short of surreal.
Julio “Ceschi” Ramos recalled, “The track had that classic hardcore/crossover energy-reminding me of Suicidal Tendencies in the 80s-and there was Fat Mike coaching Sam and me through these dense, fast lyrics he’d written about the Trump/Q era of disinformation. It was one of those life-changing music moments. Even if nothing ever came from it, being there was enough. Now, years later, seeing it come out makes it all the more special.”
The result is a track that blends NOFX’s rapid-fire punk with Codefendants’ sharp-edged vocal delivery. It’s confrontational, fast, and unapologetically political-classic NOFX with a modern twist.
While fans may be coming to terms with the reality of no more regular NOFX releases, the band still have a treat on the way. Fat Mike has announced the first instalment of A to Z, a triple album series that will pull together rare tracks, unreleased cuts, and demos from across the band’s career.
The opening chapter arrives 5 December 2025, available on a limited-edition half purple / half red vinyl with yellow and orange splatter, restricted to just 3,500 copies worldwide.
Among its contents are never-before-heard tracks including “Barcelona” alongside “Cigarette Girl”, “Generation Z (demo)”, and “Fleas (live at MySpace)”.
Track listing for Part One of A to Z:
The Audition
Barcelona
Cigarette Girl
Don’t Count on Me (demo)
Everything in Moderation (especially moderation)
Fleas (live at MySpace)
Generation Z (demo)
Hardcore 84
With NOFX calling time on a career that stretches back to 1983, “What Are We Doing This For” stands as a reminder of the band’s relentless refusal to play by the rules. Their farewell lap may not be neatly wrapped up with a polished final album, but in true NOFX style, the exit comes with a middle finger, a laugh, and a track that sounds like it could burn down the room.
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