Punk rock fans, get your mohawks ready because Green Day’s 14th album just hit the charts. Whatever song that you start with in the new album entitled “Saviors”, you will know that it is Green Day. The album has a consistent theme of celebration of the band’s togetherness since their first album in 1990. The band continues with its use of music as a call-out of social issues that, in their view, plague the United States. Problems such as the continual spread of conspiracy theories are brought up in the first song of the album “The American Dream is Killing Me”.
While this is Green Day’s 14th album, it is their first one in close to four years after their previous album released in 2020, “Father of All…” was the lowest-selling album in the band’s 34-year history. Many blamed the lack of sales on the run time of just 26 minutes and the lyrics that were based upon the “chaos” of the recent presidential term. Criticism and discussion of American ideals and society is a common theme within many of Green Day’s albums like “American Idiot”, which discusses in the title song the confusion that was present living in the country amid the Iraq War. Even in their following album “21st Century Breakdown”, there is a song called “American Eulogy” which was released just after the peak of the 2008 financial crisis talking about the mass hysteria hitting the country. “Saviors” represents a continuation of this discussion only more thoroughly in-depth with a longer 46-minute runtime.
While not being a huge punk rock fan, let alone a Green Day fan, I can assure all fans that the album shows the band’s partial return to prowess. As I listened, I could only find the similarities to some of the songs that ruled my childhood. “The American Dream is Killing Me” brought me back to the days of my father and brothers playing the legendary “American Idiot” in the car. It even brought me back to the radio classic “Basket Case” with the new album’s “Dilemma” providing that proper mix of slow introduction but with a dramatic lead-up to a catchy refrain. “One Eyed Bastard ” makes the band’s inspiration from The Romanes evident as it is almost like listening to the “Blitzkrieg Bop” remake. “Look Ma, No Brains”, tops off the album for me, taking the cake as my favorite. I did not know why it stuck out to me until I did some digging into some of my punk rock favorites. Turns out, the melody is radically similar to one of the best punk rock songs of all time: “All the Small Things”.
It is that familiarity and nostalgia that forces my engagement with the album. I would not have gotten the enjoyment if I would not have experienced the warm memories of the family sing-alongs or car rides. Normally, songs that have centralized focuses and messages like some of them in “Saviors” don’t prompt my ears. However, the lyrics were secondary in the listening experience as I reflected. Primary, was the invaluable experience of reliving the past. This album speaks to me, and may speak to you. Next time you’re in the car, the gym, or just have free time, take a listen to “Saviors” to see if it serves as a reminder of the life you lived or as a lyrical confession of the American life.
Overall, the album is a 6/10. This may seem low since I was positively passionate about my listening experience. Conversely, the experience is certainly differentiable. I believe that most people will not find the experience I had with the memories, and instead will judge the creativity and its ability to captivate the audience. I don’t think that “Saviors” has the proper depth in the album to account for that judgment, but has the content to make it a quality listening experience.
Favorite Songs: One Eyed Bastard, Dilemma
Least Favorite Song: Suzie Chapstick
