“What happened to Green Day?” This is the question that fanatics, as well as casual listeners have been asking over the past few years. Admit it: everybody has heard a Green Day song before, whether it be “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” or “Good Riddance.” However, recently the band has radio silent except for ominous, and sometimes political social media posts.
Green Day rocked the 2000’s with two highly successful releases: "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown.” Both albums give political and social commentary in a “Rock Opera” format. In 2012, the band took a bold move and released a trio of albums called "¡Uno!", "¡Dos!” and "¡Tre!” The music on these records was lack luster at best. Some songs like “99 Revolutions” and “Rusty James” were good, but definitely not their best. Lots of the released songs had potential, but they just didn’t sound like Green Day. Other songs like “F*** Time” and “Kill the DJ” were just downright cringe inducing.
It looks like everybody’s favorite band from the East Bay of Northern California is back with a refreshed sound and outlook. The band took a bit of a hiatus from recording and performing after lead guitarist and vocalist, Billie Joe Armstrong, went to rehab for prescription-pill addiction after an on-stage meltdown. Details have also surfaced that the band was set back by bassist, Mike Dirnt’s wife being diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and touring Guitarist, Jason White being diagnosed with Tonsil Cancer.
In a recent Rolling Stone interview, published on the same day the band releases their latest single, Armstrong discusses the band’s new project. On the band’s 2012 trio of albums, Armstrong says that they, “were very much like a writing machine and just kept going no matter what. Even to the point we’re forcing the material.” This flop and subsequent hiatus leads to a brand new album, called “Revolution Radio,” coming in October. Armstrong says that the title was inspired by seeing protestors in Manhattan angry about the Michael Brown verdict.
The album’s lead single, released earlier this month, is called “Bang Bang” and was written from the perspective of a mass shooter. Armstrong says, “It’s about the culture of mass shooting that happens in America mixed with narcissistic social media.” The song sounds like a mix of 90’s and 2000’s Green Day, and has extremely pertinent lyrics:
“Bang Bang! Give me fame
Shoot me up to entertain
I am a semiautomatic lonely boy
You’re dead! I’m well fed
Give me death or give me head
Daddy’s little psycho and Mommy’s little soldier”.
The chorus gives disturbing insight into America’s mass shooting crisis. The lyrics lay out the all too familiar scenario of a young adult snapping and going on a rampage, then the media making the killer a celebrity and inducing mass hysteria. Armstrong stated that after writing the song and getting in the character’s head, “all I wanted to do was get that out of my brain because it just freaked me out.”
The album will be produced by the band themselves for the first time in years, and the soon to be heard songs will surely have political messages. Armstrong claims that the songs were written before this United States presidential election, and that he uses lots of metaphor in the lyrics. The album will also be released about a month before November’s election. It will be interesting to hear the song’s messages since Armstrong has been politically outspoken on his Instagram account. He seems to have been supporting liberal movements and candidates. I for one am very excited to hear this new album, and check out the subsequent world tour.
