4 years ago, the band Green Day-Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool-released a trio of albums that would’ve allowed the guys to gap several years without anything new. However, that’s only being stated in terms of quantity, not quality. The three albums had a good amount of catchy or memorable moments, but the product as a whole felt like the band just seeing what stuck rather than making a full, complete project that like of American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown. Everyone is allowed to have a little fun, and Green Day should have earned that right in their near 30 years of being around. Still, as a fan, I was let down.
Which brings us to the here and now. “Bang Bang,” the first single by the band in 4 long years, has gotten airtime on the radio since 10:00 a.m. today. For those not able to listen via those means can look for it on Spotify. The means of getting to hear it may not be of the best interest, and Youtube has been pretty cutthroat with allowing anyone to post it. There is a lyric video posted on greenday.com which you can watch here: http://www.greenday.com/news/bang-bang-lyric-video-7252641
The song itself has a beat to it that can’t be denied, and the musical sounds put forth in “Bang Bang” is definitely suitable for a large arena, which the band has become known to rock the doors off of in recent years. A marching rhythm accompanied by direct political strikes, it seems that Billie Joe has to be taking aim at war, terrorism, celebrities, and media all in one, and the lead singer demands that he get his shot at fame as well. This is all from the POV of a mass shooter, which sadly is something we’ve dealt with too much this past year. As always, Armstrong has got his finger on the pulse of America and uses it to make powerful music.
the song is the first single off of Revolution Radio, the new album due out October 7th. This is a far better choice for a lead in listen than “Oh Love” was for the trilogy of albums that came out four years ago. If Bang Bang is any indication, I definitely think Revolution Radio can salvage what has come directly before.
