Back with a Bang Bang
Ayumi Hulmes
Artist: Green Day
Album: Revolution Radio
Release date: 7th October 2016
Revolution Radio, Green Day’s first album since the shock of ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré!, and their 12th studio album since their formation, sounds and feels like the good old days. This, arguably politically charged, album has songs dealing with everything from addiction and sobriety to the current US election, yet written in a way which avoids anything sounding too heavy.
From loud, vibrant tracks like Revolution Radio and Bang Bang to the slower, almost-ballad like Outlaws and Ordinary World, this album has everything. There’s also an element of topicality about the album, with the title track inspired by a Black Lives Matter protest and Still Breathing dealing with addiction, with references to frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s own struggles. The album comes just before a US election, like American Idiot in 2004, and deals with the issue of politics, with a specific focus on the troubling candidates for this year's election, which formed the basis and gave inspiration for Troubled Times. The album also has personal dedications specifically the track Youngblood, dedicated to Armstrong's wife, Adrienne.
Revolution Radio is the best thing Green Day have produced since American Idiot in 2004 and despite the two albums sounding pretty similar, there are no hints of them reusing old material, or slowing down anytime soon. Armstrong and his crew have, once again, managed to find the perfect balance between high-energy tracks and slower, more thought-provoking ones to create an album that takes us back to the basics of punk rock. There’s no doubt about it - Green Day are back.
Album: Revolution Radio
Release date: 7th October 2016
Revolution Radio, Green Day’s first album since the shock of ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré!, and their 12th studio album since their formation, sounds and feels like the good old days. This, arguably politically charged, album has songs dealing with everything from addiction and sobriety to the current US election, yet written in a way which avoids anything sounding too heavy.
From loud, vibrant tracks like Revolution Radio and Bang Bang to the slower, almost-ballad like Outlaws and Ordinary World, this album has everything. There’s also an element of topicality about the album, with the title track inspired by a Black Lives Matter protest and Still Breathing dealing with addiction, with references to frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s own struggles. The album comes just before a US election, like American Idiot in 2004, and deals with the issue of politics, with a specific focus on the troubling candidates for this year's election, which formed the basis and gave inspiration for Troubled Times. The album also has personal dedications specifically the track Youngblood, dedicated to Armstrong's wife, Adrienne.
Revolution Radio is the best thing Green Day have produced since American Idiot in 2004 and despite the two albums sounding pretty similar, there are no hints of them reusing old material, or slowing down anytime soon. Armstrong and his crew have, once again, managed to find the perfect balance between high-energy tracks and slower, more thought-provoking ones to create an album that takes us back to the basics of punk rock. There’s no doubt about it - Green Day are back.