Green Day is back with their fourteenth album “Saviors” their first album since 2020(Father of all Motherfuckers). Since their last album front man Billie Joel Armstrong stated seven songs did not make the last album but people weren’t fans of the last producer so they decided to bring back the producer who worked on “Dookie” and “American Idiot”, which they haven’t worked with in a decade. They did release some singles since the last album though for the NHL or for soundtracks.
The best thing about the album is that a rock band is doing a rock album unlike many rock artists still making new music rapidly every few years and they do not make rock music anymore (Coldplay), they take 4-5 years in the studio perfecting it. Yes they can be called punk or alternative but they will always be the epitome of rock music as they sound exactly like what they are: rock & roll lifers settling into middle age, irritated by some shifts in culture but still finding sustenance in the music they’ve loved for decades. They will always be fighting the establishment or making a point in their lyrics like in American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown or Revolution Radio, with social commentary on the world we live in each time and really understanding the youth in each time period they make an album.
The tracks that start the album really do hit you with the usual rock sound “The American Dream is Killing Me” and “Look Ma no Brains” really do hit on their ability to put social commentary into their music so well. The latter is also understanding the current youth but also making fun of them. The other song with social commentary is “Living in the 20’s” which has a sound to some older work off 21st Century Breakdown. The worst track on the album is “Bobby Sox”, it kind of tricks you by starting at a slower pace but turns into screaming/anger and it gets the current generation but is right on the nose with the subject matter of dating.
Most of the album rocks out but there are songs that just do that like “One Eyed Bastard” that sounds like an Irish ballad that you imagine singing drunk. Others like “1981”, “Coma City” and “Corvette Summer” all are catchy, sound like their older work or sound like classic rock. The song “Dilemma” seems to be the most introspective of Armstrong about his own mortality and addictions. While “Goodnight Adeline” and “Suzie Chapstick” he seems to get emotional, and one is about the bad side of love but both still hit on the rock element and are catchy. While “Strange Days are here to Stay” is emotional, introspective, sounds like their style similar to the song “Good Riddance” but still rocks out. The song “Father to Son” is also very emotional at a slower pace with mixing of hard rock and soft rock about a relationship between father and son.
The last two songs are a good way to end the album with the track title going second to last in “Saviors” which is an interesting spot for it. As there really isn’t commentary or aren’t that emotional but still emote those messages in their style of music to rock out. The final track “Fancy Sauce” ends the album with a nice quieter emotional track that has its moments of rocking out but is a great way to end a good album with some introspective or commentary hidden.
In the end it is nice Green Day came out with this album since their last album was definitely not their best as it was a complete departure from their traditional sound of Punk Rock. As it seemed like it was a hodgepodge thrown together with very quick tracks. The new album seemed to show their usual effort in taking time to put together the great social commentary/feel for the current generation mixed into their style of Rock music. Calling all Saviors we should all feel glad that Green Day is out here being the saviors to the current climate of Rock music and current climate of the world we live in.