Green Day, a widely admired band, have released a new album. The four-time GRAMMY award winners have released their 14-studio album, Savior on Jan. 19 2024. The beloved band has inspired and brought joy to fans with their music for decades.
Formed in 1987, the band didn’t start out as Green Day but was first called Blood Rage, then Sweet Children. Their first album, 39/Smooth was released in 1990 and sold 3,000 copies in just the first year. Then, with the release of the band’s album Dookie in 1994, their popularity increased while sales also surged to 55,000. Since the release of Dookie, the band has released five award-winning albums including American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown, Nimrod, and more. As the years have passed their sales and streaming numbers have declined significantly, mainly due to their exploration of different styles of music.
Savior was the first album since the release of Father of All Mother*ackers, in 2020. The album turned out to be the least successful album of the band’s career with less than 50,000 copies bought in the U.S. The band experimented with new sounds and styles leading to the creation of pop-oriented music, which left many Green Day fans disappointed. Chris Harris from Spin states that “Green Day’s 13th studio album set sees them step outside of their comfort zone, experimenting with a range of new sounds and styles. However, this leads to mixed results.” Dookie was the bands most successful album at roughly 28 million sales plus streaming while Father of All Mother*ackers only gained 27,000, proving Green Day’s popularity and spark to be fading as the band ages. The members of Green Day claim Savior are not in the same style as their previous album Father of All Mother*ackers. Emily Carter, a writer for Kerrang states, “Savior follows a similar trend of taking what they’d learned and bringing it back around into a more classic Green Day sound.”
In Dec, Green Day released three brand new songs off the album, debuting two of them at this year’s When We Were Young Festival. The first song released on the album is named “Look Ma, No Brains.” This song brings you back to the classic Green Day sound of the 90’s, including a fast, fun and catchy rhythm. While the song has a nostalgic sound, it does not have the same flair as their classic songs, such as “American Idiot,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” and “Basket Case.”
They then released a song named “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” which was a way to showcase the band’s opinions on American politics, and how they negatively impact U.S citizens. Last but not least, they debuted “Dilemma,” a slow, passionate song which showcases lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s struggles with rehab and addiction.
These songs showed the repetitive nature of the album in length. With pop-oriented rhythm and loss of edge and originality, the release of Savior saw a mix of reviews. While fans have agreed the band is eager to keep their rock legacy with this new album, they also agree the album shows a lazy side to the band. Based on albums past, this one has shown to be unimaginative and basic. Despite a few catchy songs, the album feels disappointing especially with the band’s high capability. Fans desire to admire Green Day’s Savior but instead are left yearning for the genuine, emotional sound of their music past.