Green Day - Revolution Radio

Green Day
Revolution Radio
2016
Spotify

Revolution Radio the twelfth studio album from aging punk rockers Green Day comes after the highly debated and politically charged record American Idiot and the widely paned Uno! Dos! Tre!. Revolution Radio doesn't completely abandon those ideas, but this record is faster more aggressive and seeks to capture some energy of their earlier outings. As a whole however the album definitely skews towards the older former punks who want just enough edge in their music to remain relevant but not enough to where their kids will absolutely hate them for listening to it in the SUV. Billy Joe began the build up to the record by proclaiming that He was going to "destroy pop-punk" which for someone who has benefited so much from the genre to say something like that seems just fucking stupid. However that has always been Green Day's M.O., claim to hate something then make an album completely out of that something. They have gone from embracing their popiness to panning it. One thing is for sure, pop-punk is very safe if the only bullet it has to dodge is Revolution Radio. This album however is the most personal of Green Day's to date and the band is not afraid to embrace their over 40 status. "Outlaws" shows major growth, despite being grounded in heavy nostalgia, and is an actually rather sweet and delicate song as well as a major standout.

"Still Breathing" feels like the sobriety anthem that ever rocker who gets sober eventually writes, so it is well worn territory and Billy Joe is not adding all that much. "Youngblood" which is another anthem for what the band considers the Green Day faithful, and the archetype has been done over and over again. There are a lot of tracks on Revolution Radio like this where it is a sound and a message you have heard before so why should we care now? Green Day have defied the odds and remained a band, did a Broadway Musical and are about to have an HBO documentary, however this does not make the music any less generic or formulaic. The record as a whole feels a lot less of something new and more like an amalgamation of everything they have done. This would not necessarily be a bad thing, and it isn't, but it doesn't add anything exciting or make them relevant again. Those who love Green Day still will and those on the fence will likely remain there. Revolution Radio is a perfectly fine album but it simply does not have the kind of impact to make a splash.

5.5 out of 10