Above image via Rolling Stone

By Josh McCann

A new Green Day album is exactly what America needed right now. In the age of polarizing politics, climate change, and sky-high student debt—fans wanted an album to turn up and rock out. Enter the bands 14th LP. It’s their best since American Idiot. Saviors is a major statement in the bands illustrious career.

The powerful lead single, “The American Dream is killing me,” opens up the album. When I first heard it I was driving to teach class at Point Park University. I passed Tent City, which was a long line of tents where the homeless lived, located in the middle of the city. The lyrics “Under the over pass, sleeping in broken glass” hit me like never before. Green Day has always had their pulse on what’s going on in America.

“Bobby Sox” has a killer opening guitar riff reminiscent of Weezer. “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?” Billie Joe Armstrong wails. They are having fun here. The trio is in their 50’s. Still rocking harder than ever. You can feel the passion. Green Day is still one of the biggest rock bands of today, showing Gen Z bands that they can not only hang, but blow it out of the park. Speaking of parks, they are playing baseball stadiums this summer. Each night they will play through their landmark albums, Dookie and American Idiot.

“1981” has a fast rush of guitars. Play it loud. “She’s gonna bang her head like 1981,” Billie Joe sings. Ummm, let’s hope they make a video for this song! It’s 2 minutes of pure Green Day adrenaline meant for every Saturday night ever. I hope this makes it into the live set this summer.

I remember listening to Dookie every day in junior high while I rode the bus to school. Billie Joe sang in my headphones about girls, paradise, and being a “Basket Case.” I couldn’t wait for the end of the school day. Not because class would be over, but for the fact that I’d get to listen to more Green Day on the bus ride home! I’m sure many kids will be playing ‘Saviors’ on their AirPods on the way to school.

There’s a bunch of songs with great hooks here. Including the punk rock of “Coma City,” where Billie Joe, Tre, and Mike go off at the end. The last minute rips and will blow your mind! A highlight of the album. And wow, how about “Corvette Summer”?! It’s a feel-good rock vibe drive. Yeah I’ll be blasting this all summer!

“Dilemma” has the hard edge beat about mental health issues and substance abuse. “I was sober, now I’m drunk again/I’m in trouble and in love again/ I don’t wanna be a dead man walking.” Billie Joe is sober now. In a recent interview with People Magazine, he talked about quitting alcohol.

“For me, alcohol gets in the way of everything, from my relationship with my family to just trying to get a good nights sleep. It’s gets in the way of my happiness,” he said. “I’m still able to go out and listen to some music, see some band or go to a party—and it’s still a fun, sexy kind of evening, even though there’s no alcohol. I feel really good.”

Here’s a cool one that’s different: “Suzie Chapstick.” The guitar into?! Umm. Chills! Soo good. “Will I ever see your face again?/ Not just photos from an Instagram,” Billie Joe sings. Oh the bittersweet heartbreak. “Outside my window, there is nothing but a sky/it’s just another vacant, cold, and lonely night.”

There’s also the thrill of “Living in the 20’s,” where Billie Joe sings about how we are all experiencing this decade. Or is it about living in your actual 20’s? Either way, it’s cool. “Congratulations, best of luck and blessing/We’re all together and we’re living in the 20’s.”

It’s not all doom and gloom though. On the title track, Billie Joe shouts an open call to be saved. “Calling all saviors tonight, make us all believers tonight.” The guitars, bass, and drums have that quintessential power of Green Day we’ve loved for the past thirty years and counting.

I was lucky enough to attend Green Day’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in Cleveland back in 2015. It felt like they were too young to be getting inducted. During the night they performed an awesome set of their hits. Unlike other bands that get inducted, they weren’t about to wind down. They are the type of band that stays relevant with new music. Saviors proves that they still can write amazing rock songs, all the while capturing a point in time in America. Will Saviors be up there with some of their best work like Dookie and American Idiot? Only time will tell. But who really cares. Turn it up and let it rip!

Standout tracks: Bobby Sox, 1981, Corvette Summer, The American Dream is Killing Me, Suzie Chapstick, Dilemma