America’s favorite punk rockers Green Day are back with their 12th studio album “Revolution Radio” and its clear from the start that frontman Billie Joe Armstrong still has a lot to say. The new record finds Green Day drawing on what made them so great in the first place with 12 songs infused with staccato punk riffs and infectious pop punk melodies.
The band seems to have found both their youthful energy and political angst. The lead single “Bang Bang” is a driving rocker that touches on gun violence and mass shootings and the title track is an energetic track focusing on the idea of coming together for a cause. Produced by the band themselves, the record has a crisp, raw feel to it with anthems like “Youngblood” and “Still Breathing.” Armstrong sounds better than ever and after so many years together, the trio performs as one. There’s a slower side to the band as well with the acoustic “Ordinary World” and the tempo changes of “Forever Now.” The track that really stands out is “Outlaws,” a wistful, mid-tempo rocker that has Billie Joe taking a look back to his younger years in the band and will prove to be a quintessential Green Day tune.
Full of catchy hooks and angry riffs, “Revolution Radio” is the best thing we’ve heard from Green Day in a very long time. 30 years into the game, it’s great to see that Billie Joe can still tap into all the vim and vigor of his youth and produce an album of pure pop punk madness that will make us fall in love with Green Day all over again.
