With the release of Green Day’s 14th album “Saviors” on Jan. 19, there was much anticipation and excitement for what the songs had in store for listeners. However, upon listening, the overall mediocrity of the music was disappointing, as nothing stood out from the sound.
Personally, I’ve enjoyed Green Day’s past music. Their two album stretch in the 2000’s brought many emo classics to my playlist, so I was initially excited to hear new music was on the way. Unfortunately, the disappointment began immediately with the singles released pre-album. One after another, “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” “Look Ma, No Brains!” and “Dilemma” continued to bore me.
Of the singles from the album, “One Eyed Bastard” was the only one to stand out with a strong beat carrying throughout the entirety of the revenge-esqe song. With this track being released only two weeks before “Saviors,” it was the only thing getting me slightly pumped for the final release.
The album was plain boring. There was nothing original amongst the 15 tracks. Though it was very slightly like their older, 2000s vibe, it was truly nothing of interest. I wasn’t invested in much of anything in any of the songs. Some did have emotional lyrics, trying to carry some sort of weight, but the songs failed.
Besides “One Eyed Bastard,” “Bobby Sox” is the only other enjoyable song on the album. This track fits the emoness that Green Day can produce that I absolutely love. Lyrics like “And make our dead friends blush” and “I’ll bore you to death” make this cheeky love-and-death analogy that I really liked. The drums and guitar make it the exact opposite of a modern day love song, sending me back to the true emo days.
All in all, the album was just okay. With a few likable songs from it, I guess I’d give those another listen, but a full album listening session will not be in my future. I do think Green Day can come back from this. They’re slowly returning to their “American Idiot” and “Shenanigans” vibe, and once they do, I know all their songs will be hits. But for now, “Saviors” gets an average rating from me.
Green Day – “Saviors” ★★★☆☆
