Saviors
Arriving 20 years after the open political ire of *American Idiot*, Green Day’s 14th album sees the veteran California punk trio energized by a new wave of worrying trends. Now in his early fifties, singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong retains the snotty defiance that has always been his calling card, whether the stakes are high or low. He doesn’t mince words on opener and lead single “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” calling out the nation’s boom in conspiracy theories and reimagining the classic patriotic lyric “my country, ’tis of thee” as “my country under siege.” While less of a concept album than the rock opera turned stage musical *American Idiot*, *Saviors* still latches on to some recurring themes in the name of getting a point across, such as updating 1950s-era rock ’n’ roll tropes: “Bobby Sox” swaps the aw-shucks question “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?” with “Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” while the timeless-sounding romantic ballad “Suzie Chapstick” is timestamped with a reference to absently scrolling Instagram. And “Living in the ’20s” may flash a guitar solo ripped straight from rock’s earliest days, but it also cites the more modern markers of mass shootings and pleasure robots. Armstrong’s urgent venting is delivered within some of Green Day’s catchiest songs since the 1990s, and longtime producer Rob Cavallo proves just as crucial to the album’s punchy, uncrowded sound as bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool. After all, Cavallo helmed the band’s 1994 smash *Dookie*, and *Saviors* sneaks in a few nods to that ripe era too. The sheer simplicity of the chugging chords opening “Strange Days Are Here to Stay” evokes the former album’s hit single “Basket Case,” while the mortality-minded closer “Fancy Sauce” borrows Nirvana’s coupling of “stupid and contagious.” The bubblegum anthem “Look Ma, No Brains!” harks back even further to Green Day’s DIY roots (and before that, pop-punk godfathers the Ramones), further cementing the idea that righteous anger goes down easier smuggled inside a pop song.
Attempting to cement their title as a legacy rock act, Green Day absorb the kind of lazy regression they once rallied against.
Attempting to cement their title as a legacy rock act, Green Day absorb the kind of lazy regression they once rallied against.
Green Day's’ 14th album finds them wiser, more subtle, but still up for a romp – on a state-of-the-nation LP and their best since ‘American Idiot’
Saviors boasts some of Green Day's most thrilling anthems to date. Album opener “The American Dream Is Killing Me” could have come straight from their concept album era with a massive earworm chorus that showcases the band at their very best.
Green Day's’ 14th album finds them wiser, more subtle, but still up for a romp – on a state-of-the-nation LP and their best since ‘American Idiot’
Saviors boasts some of Green Day's most thrilling anthems to date. Album opener “The American Dream Is Killing Me” could have come straight from their concept album era with a massive earworm chorus that showcases the band at their very best.
In an US election year, it’s satisfying to hear the band getting some fire in their bellies
In an US election year, it’s satisfying to hear the band getting some fire in their bellies
Can we get a ‘heeeey-ooooh’? Green Day have lost none of their magic or sense of realness on 14th album…
Can we get a ‘heeeey-ooooh’? Green Day have lost none of their magic or sense of realness on 14th album…
The third and final part of the band’s American Idiot trilogy is heartfelt, but also ploddingly unoriginal
The third and final part of the band’s American Idiot trilogy is heartfelt, but also ploddingly unoriginal
Green Day are back with their best album in 20 years, stuffed to the brim with anthemic punk rock choruses skewering life in the post-COVID era.
Green Day are back with their best album in 20 years, stuffed to the brim with anthemic punk rock choruses skewering life in the post-COVID era.
What needs to be said about Green Day at this point? Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool are the multi-million-selling post-Nirvan...
What needs to be said about Green Day at this point? Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool are the multi-million-selling post-Nirvan...
Green Day's latest LP, by their own admission, summons comparisons to the career highs of ‘Dookie’ and ‘American Idiot’ - both are incidentally
Green Day's latest LP, by their own admission, summons comparisons to the career highs of ‘Dookie’ and ‘American Idiot’ - both are incidentally
The California rockers reunite with producer Rob Cavallo and re-engage with state-of-the-nation concerns on an album with few bright spots
The California rockers reunite with producer Rob Cavallo and re-engage with state-of-the-nation concerns on an album with few bright spots
GREEN DAY are one of the most enduring bands from the late-1980s and early-1990s Bay Area punk scene. Throughout the years, they've been consistent and continued to stay creative and release new music. Reinvigorated in 2004 with their seminal release, the rock opera "American Idiot", the album made...
GREEN DAY are one of the most enduring bands from the late-1980s and early-1990s Bay Area punk scene. Throughout the years, they've been consistent and continued to stay creative and release new music. Reinvigorated in 2004 with their seminal release, the rock opera "American Idiot", the album made...
Ed Walton reviews the new album from pop-punk legends Green Day! Read the review of 'Saviors' here on Distorted Sound!
Ed Walton reviews the new album from pop-punk legends Green Day! Read the review of 'Saviors' here on Distorted Sound!
Saviors is the best Green Day album in at least 15 years. It's refreshing to hear them on Saviors, where they sound focused and energized again.
Saviors is the best Green Day album in at least 15 years. It's refreshing to hear them on Saviors, where they sound focused and energized again.
Green Day - Saviors review: I just wanna save you while there's still something left to save
Green Day - Saviors review: I just wanna save you while there's still something left to save
The US trio are stuck making the same music they always do, while riot grrrls Sleater-Kinney confront personal and political loss
The US trio are stuck making the same music they always do, while riot grrrls Sleater-Kinney confront personal and political loss
There is room for redemption in a band who are not yet past their sell-by date but are clearly in dire need of rejuvenation
There is room for redemption in a band who are not yet past their sell-by date but are clearly in dire need of rejuvenation