Review Summary: More like Father of none.
At this point, I am sure we are well aware about the band essentially reinventing themselves with each album in terms of their sound. While most of their albums over the last two decades would keep the same basics of hard alternative rock and thought-provoking material, each of them sounds like their own, and seeing how well each release has managed to still work pretty damn well, it's hard not to be impressed by the innovation. This album, for the most part, is the same story in terms of the sound, as this essentially takes their signature sound and cranked up the party dial to 11 with voice effects and more, all while seemingly having fun doing so. But, in doing so, would result in some of the least mature songs from the band, and would forget a few crucial things needed to make the album itself any good. As a lifelong Green Day fan, this album is the first I've heard from the band where I actually felt confused--and not in a good way. It shows the band going full force into this weird mid 2000s skate rock sound while forgetting how to make what made the band themselves so legendary to begin with. It's energetic, poppy, and really sloppy.
Though, that isn't to take away from the album's strengths, as it isn't quite what I would call an awful album. That is because, even though the style is a bit much, it is still executed rather well, as it is wonderfully composed and put together. Because, even though it didn't work as well as it should have, the band was definitely giving it their all to make this album sound as fresh as they could, because to give credit where it's due, I was definitely not expecting this. The production is very good, too, as it is the most diverse and out there it has been in a Green Day album thus far. And while it showcases a lot of experimentation, the band doesn't fail from sounding as infectious as usual at times. And thanks to the ample amount of variety, it can be fun at times, and even though there's nothing too deep here, it's at least never boring.
And just like that, I am all out of positives. Sure, the album sounds fresh and fun, as well as well made, but the songs are astonishingly underwhelming. There's really nothing on the album aside from MAYBE "Sugar Youth" (but again, only maybe) that I can call truly great. The rest range from desperate to only decent. The album focused so hard on trying to sound new, that it forgot to focus on the music itself. It's an album that doesn't make the listener dance, but instead begs them to. When it's not trying to shove pop sounds or weird and unnecessary distorted vocal effects down the listeners throat (or ears, in this instance), the music is still nothing all too special. And the worst part is that this album is absolutely tiny. For a 10 track album that lasts only 26 minutes, it really does end right before it gets good, because even though "Take the Money and Crawl" isn't anything to write home about (aside from the really cheesy inclusion of vocal tremolo in the chorus. Come on, guys), it's still a decent song. But, after the 26 minutes end (which makes this their shortest album yet), it really doesn't feel like anything substantial whatsoever. The fact that 5-7 track EPs like "Chronic Town" by R.E.M. or "Jar of Flies", as well as "Sap" by Alice in Chains have like 200% more depth and relistenability than this album does is a bit embarrassing, especially from such a legendary band like Green Day. Hell, I would rather listen to the bands own early EPs "1,000 Hours", "Slappy", and "Sweet Children" any day of the week than this. At least they have more heart.
I'm really not sure why the band went this route, and why they thought it would be the next step after the promising "Revolution Radio". It really seemed like after the release of RevRad, the band would be right back on track to making quality material again--especially after the underwhelming trilogy from 2012. Unfortunately, this album is even worse, because while one could make the argument that this album has more originality than the trilogy, the trilogy at least had some great songs in it. Here? Besides the possible exception of "Sugar Youth", nope. It goes for flair over function, as it is, technically, a party rock album at heart, and one that can be fun at times. But, it's still mostly forgettable. You'd think that they'd keep learning from their previous less than stellar releases like they did with RevRad, but instead, they try a bit too hard all while not trying hard enough on what really matters, resulting in an album that is one step forward, but more than two steps back, and the only one I can comfortably call bad. What a shame. Let's hope the band gets back on track like they did with RevRad, because it's as clear as day that this ain't it, chief. Again, it's not terrible, because it does a lot right. But that almost doesn't matter when it's lacking this hard, making this a party that gets lame after a while, and ends way too soon. Only recommended for die-hards. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother, as there's really not much to it.
