In a year filled with terrible things happening every day, it's nice to see some happy news in your notifications. On Aug. 11, that small burst of happiness miraculously happened to me. It was in the form of a new single released by Green Day. The song, "Bang Bang" is from their upcoming album "Revolution Radio," which will be released Oct. 7 of this year.
Full disclosure: Pure punk may lead to uncontrollable acts of social defiance, irresistible needs for louder speakers and utterly euphoric head-banging. Listen at your own risk below.
Despite the fact that I am a teenager who has no business being nostalgic, I can't help but think that there has been a dearth in bands like Green Day or songs like "Bang Bang" any more. But, for once, hear me out.
Green Day has been rocking out together since 1986 and its original members, lead singer Billie Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt, have been a part of the group the entire time. In fact, Armstrong and Dirnt started collaborating at age 14 in their self-declared group called Sweet Children, and so the duo has been part of the music scene for 30 years now. For any given milestone, that is a ridiculous amount of time. Drummer Tre Cool joined in 1990, appearing on their second studio album and has been a member since. Not every group is made to last 25 years.
Besides being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band has five Grammy Awards, a musical adaption ("American Idiot") that earned two Tony Awards and has sold more than 75 million records around the world. "Revolution Radio" will be their 12th album.
The most amazing part, however, is that throughout their entire career, they have remained faithfully punk and defiantly political. Yes, their sound has changed time and time again throughout the decades, but those changes serve to polish their original sound instead of heading in a completely new direction. The same aesthetics are always present; they are simply decorated with more intricate musical backdrops. Pretty much every modern punk, emo and alternative band has shifted toward the pop direction (ex. Fall Out Boy) or died out (ex. My Chemical Romance), but "Bang Bang" seems to stand against that trend.
Mixing music with politics and actually being successful is as difficult as withstanding the fade of time. Most bands give up after they gain popularity like rock group Good Charlotte. Releasing early punk anthems telling fans "at my high school, it felt more to me/like a jail cell, a penitentiary" ("The Anthem") and "if money is such a problem/well [celebrities] got mansions/think we should rob them" ("Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"), the band kicked off their newest album after a four year hiatus with a single about a break-up. How non-conformist and utterly punk of them. (Author's Note: Sarcasm, such bitter sarcasm.)
Green Day's new single, on the other hand, appears to be a commentary on America's gun culture and, with an album title like "Revolution Radio," I think the rest of the coming songs will be far from tame. This is coming from a group that has addressed mental illness ("Basket Case"), unchecked patriotism ("21 Guns") and created epic social statement that is the five-part "Jesus of Suburbia."
Their lead singer also has no qualms about talking politics in interviews. While most musicians would shy away so as not to endanger their sales, Armstrong openly criticized then-current president George W. Bush and his positions. More recently, he has discussed Donald Trump, calling the Republican nominee "f-cking Hitler" among other insightful comments about his rise to popularity.
Fall Out Boy released its 2013 album "Save Rock and Roll" to save the alternative rock scene. My Chemical Romance recently teased fans with a trailer that sparked hopes for a reunion (and return of the emo scene) only to be an anniversary re-release of their album "The Black Parade." Whatever Green Day's intentions with "Revolution Radio," just know I'm over here hoping it saves modern punk and destroys pop radio like the 1917 Revolution destroyed Imperial Russia.
