Green Day take aim at U.S. establishment once more with Saviors

When Fox News runs a segment criticizing Green Day for bashing Donald Trump, it’s about as good an indicator as any that the legendary punk trio are back with a bang.

The right wing news channel took issue with the reworking of the band’s hit ‘American Idiot’s lyrics to say, “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda” in the best possible free advertising for their 14th studio album Saviors.

The anger from conservatives is reminiscent of 2004’s American Idiot which took aim at the Bush administration and post 9/11 America. Saviors is a punchy, witty and very timely update 20 years later as ‘God’s favorite band’ focus their ire on the nation’s sociopolitical landscape once again.

The term ‘return to form’ is relentlessly overused, but it’s hard to come up with a more accurate description of the Bay Area group’s latest effort after 2020’s woefully out of touch Father of All Motherfuckers.

The 15 track album comes in at barely over 46 minutes and its short, fast and loud compositions are imbued with the ironic and world-weary sarcasm that have been markedly absent from their last few releases.

Saviors puts its cards on the table right away with opening track ‘The American Dream is Killing Me’ setting the tone with lyrics like, “People on the street/Unemployed and obsolete”.

Subsequently ‘Look Ma, No Brains!’, ‘Living in the ‘20s’ and ‘Coma City’ continue exploring themes of American societal and moral decay, focusing on gun violence, police brutality and decline in media standards to name but a few. Penultimate and title track ‘Saviors’ calls out for a hero to change the course of a troubled world, “Calling all strangers tonight/Will somebody save us tonight?”

Green Day are never ones to shy away from political discussion, but versatile lyricist and frontman Billie Joe Armstrong once again sings about deeply personal issues such as his struggles with addiction and time rehab in the album’s standout track ‘Dilemma’ (good luck getting it out of your head) and his experience of fatherhood in ‘Father to a Son’ to give Saviors a strong range of moods between anger and tenderness.

The band’s familiar attitude of standing back and laughing while the world around burns is back in force, summed up by the album’s cover art which is an edited photo taken during a 1978 riot on the Falls Road in Belfast.

Also returning is Rob Cavallo, producer on Dookie and American Idiot, who’s influence is key to the nostalgic sound of the album after a 12 year break from working with the band.

While Saviors doesn’t try anything particularly unpredictable, its classic pop-punk atmosphere, catchy riffs and insightful social and political commentary are a return to the tried and tested blueprint that the California rockers desperately needed a series of lacklustre albums.

Opening at number one in the UK album charts, Saviors is the best indication we’ve had in a decade that even after more than 35 years of rebelling, Green Day still have plenty left in the tank.