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Backstory: How Irish are you? More importantly, how Bostonian are you? The Dropkick Murphys have long played up their heritage, mixing bagpipes with speedy punk, folksy ballads and a healthy Red Sox appreciation. The question is: When does it get old?

Why you should care: Stuck on a sound or perfecting what works? There’s a little of both on “The Meanest Times,” the band’s sixth studio record. “God Willing” is a perfect mix of hardcore chanting, Irish brogue, sentimentality and, yes, bagpipes—it’s the song you’d want playing at your funeral. But the band, long known for writing perfect punk rock singalongs, seems a little wordy here—“Echoes of a Street” and “Tomorrow’s Industry” take so long setting up their various scenarios (heartache, raising children in a tough neighborhood, how old-school values fail in a new world, etc.), they forget to be catchy.

Verdict: Not the best Murphys record, and possibly unnecessary for long-time fans who’ve memorized “Do or Die” and “The Gang’s All Here.” For newbies? A rousing collection of moshable Irish-pride anthems and touching acoustic ballads.

X-Factor: The band’s got a way with covers. Their Woody Guthrie rewrite, “I’m Shipping Out to Boston,” can be prominently heard in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” while their revamp of a turn-of-the-century Red Sox rally cry, “Tessie,” was adapted by the team during its 2004 World Series run.

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