Fat Mike's new band The Codefendants Take on Disinformation

By the time Fat Mike handed Sam King and Ceschi Ramos a NOFX song to reimagine, the world was still deep in the chaos of the pandemic. QAnon conspiracies were spreading like wildfire, disinformation was mainstream currency, and punk rock itself was staring down a new era of corporate homogenization. Out of that moment came “What Are We Doing This For?” — a furious, whip-fast single that King and Ramos now call one of the most unique recordings in the Codefendants catalog.

“Let’s be very clear,” Ramos says with a half-smile. “Fat Mike wrote every single lyric of that song. It’s probably the only recording where Mike wrote all the lyrics.” He describes the track as a throwback to the hardcore crossover energy of Suicidal Tendencies — a thrash-driven, spitfire vocal exchange that captured both the absurdity and the danger of an America teetering on disinformation overload.

For Codefendants, the song exists in two parallel versions: the original NOFX cut and their own reimagining, built around Factor Chandelier’s acapella-and-beat production. The split personality wasn’t an accident. Fat Mike had dreamed up an ambitious concept album in which friends like Fishbone and Less Than Jake would record covers of unreleased NOFX songs before the originals ever saw daylight. “Our version was just part of that,” Ramos explains. “We actually sing on the NOFX version, too.”

King laughs when asked about the double identity of the track. “Mike conveniently quit playing music before all this, so he doesn’t have to take any of the heat from fans who don’t like the direction,” he says. “Very calculated man.”

For a group that once tried to launch anonymously — they begged Fat Mike not to reveal their personal histories — the single also represents the impossibility of separating art from identity. “We just wanted to put the music out there,” King recalls. “But in the first interview, Mike dropped everything. Our names, our past, even our criminal history. Right out of the gate.”

Now, instead of hiding, Codefendants lean into the honesty. The track isn’t just about politics — it’s about survival, resilience, and refusing to let monopolies, gatekeepers, or false narratives dictate what artists create. In a landscape where backyard shows and DIY venues feel like the last bastions of authenticity, “What Are We Doing This For?” doubles as both a rallying cry and a mirror.

It’s raw. It’s unfiltered. And it’s exactly the kind of middle-finger anthem that reminds you why punk — and crime wave — still matter.