Review: Father Of All... - Green Day

Image result for father of all album cover

By Tommy Delone



I don’t even know who this band is anymore. 


I’m not sure what Green Day was attempting with the direction of their new album, but it’s essentially a pop-punk Fitz and the Tantrums rip-off. What used to be lovable about Green Day was the inventiveness of their lyrics and their unique place within the punk rock canon. Now their edge is so old and dull that it can’t cut through warm butter. I’m conflicted about this album. As a fan, I have a ton of respect for Green Day and their continued longevity. I wanted to like the album, I really did, but with my roots are so deeply seeded in who they used to be, it’s hard for me to like this at all.
The album starts off with introducing a new band bad. Billy Joe (for some reason) decides that he’s going to change his vocal style to a high pitch, near falsetto howl.  This seems to be the focal point of their genre pivot, making their sound a faster paced, bubblegum-rock that’s paired with rhythmic drums, clapping, and gimmicky background vocals.  Their target audience still seems to be the same, but they’re coming for the demographic with the most outdated of angles. What’s worse is that the message behind the lyrics doesn’t match up with the sound at all. While the lyrics try to echo American Idiot, you just can’t take what Billie Joe is saying seriously when he’s sounding like a store-brand Axl Rose.  

Billie Joe is 47 years old, and while it’s a fact that people change with age, you’d think he’d at least stick true to his guns.  It seems like the band just wanted to recreate the same message, but reinvigorate their sound to seem attractive in a forever-changing market.  Their old, angsty, raw sound is barely here, but there are still some small slivers of what makes Green Day great. “Sugar Youth” and “Stab You In The Heart” are reminiscent of the old Green Day, showcasing a nice display of their roots. There’s other songs on this album that, while good, would be better if they weren’t by Green Day/  “Meet Me On The Roof,” is a perfect example of that. It’s a song that’s as catchy as it is peppy, and it’s the first song on the album that after listening, I thought to myself that this angle could potentially result in something. 

I applaud the fact that the band tries to reinvent themselves, and as much as I personally don’t like it, I think that this album is a good stepping stone to do that.  I think that the delivery on their lyrics is less than perfect, but their messages still seem to be applicable, if by the lowest common denominator, to today’s society.  Ultimately, I didn’t love the album, but I didn’t hate it either. If this is the new Green Day, I am curious enough to jump down the rabbit hole and see where this leads.

BOPS: "Sugar Youth," "Meet Me On The Roof"

DUDS: "Fire, Ready, Aim," "Take The Money and Crawl," "I Was A Teenage Teenager," "Oh Yeah!"

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