On Jan. 19, 2024 Green Day released their 14th studio album, “Saviors”. The band continues to release songs that are powerful not only musically, but also in their messages. The songs reflect lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s struggles with addiction, as well as current societal issues. Overall, I enjoyed “Saviors” as a return to their punk rock origins and a continuation of their social commentary in song form.
The first track on the album, “The American Dream is Killing Me,” features strong drumming by Tré Cool, similar to songs like “Longview” and “Reject”, in a style very unique to Green Day. The song reflects the irony and prejudice of the stereotypical American dream compared to the struggles of the unemployed and unhoused. While I enjoyed the song when it first came out, it isn’t one of my favorites in the album as a whole; it’s not as energetic as songs like “Look Ma, No Brains!” or “1981”, and it’s less personal in its message than tracks such as “Bobby Sox” or “Dilemma”.
“Dilemma” is one of the best songs on the album as it combines Billie Joe Armstrong’s struggles as he sings about his addiction and alcoholism, with a variety of musical styles throughout the song. It starts slow and reflective as he sings, “Welcome to my problems/ It’s not an invitation” (Dilemma), then jumps into driving guitar and drums in the chorus and bridge. These factors combine to create a wonderfully unique and very personal track.
My favorite song from the album would have to be “Bobby Sox”, the third song on the album. With its chord progression ripped straight from the Stones’s “Beast of Burden”, and its Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque groove in the verses, “Bobby Sox” talks about loving who you want and not caring about others’ opinions. One of my favorite things about the song is how it’s a complete 180 from the feel of most of the other tracks, except for “1981”. While the rest of the album is quite negative in its view of the world, “Bobby Sox” gives more positivity; it recognizes there are some problems with society, but is strong in its message of “I can’t change the world but the world can’t change me”.
A close second, “Corvette Summer”, has a very old-school rock and roll vibe. The name is very indicative of its overall vibe- very upbeat in the chords and tempo, if less so in the lyrics. The energetic guitar and strong drums make it sound like it belongs in a Disney original movie, if the characters were allowed to swear.
However, not all the songs lived up to the hype. Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of “Strange Days Are Here to Stay”. I liked the interesting chord change in the chorus and the guitar solo, but overall, it felt a little one-note (pun very much intended). Similarly, while “Father to a Son” is touching with its message of Armstrong talking to his son, it’s just too slow for my taste.
The last song on the album, “Fancy Sauce”, is an amazingly apathetic finale to their 14th studio album. It has a similar feel to “Goodnight Adeline” with its slow punk ballad style, but themes are more similar to that of “Living in the ‘20s”. They seem to be two sides of the same coin. While “Living in the ‘20s” channels the anger from the letdown from the great expectations of the 2020s, “Fancy Sauce” is more about accepting the state of the world, and the sadness of not feeling like you can do anything about it, the chorus singing, “We all die young someday,” (Fancy Sauce). At first, I didn’t care for “Fancy Sauce” as the final song on the album, but it has grown on me since. It reflects the band’s experience witnessing the events in recent years, and brings the album to the nice, but sad, conclusion of “life is pretty bad but what can I do about it?”
Overall, I would give “Saviors” an 8/10. Its balance of timely, reflective content and iconic punk style made for a great and nostalgic experience that I highly enjoyed.
