Album Review: Green Day, Father of All

Nearly a decade ago, the poster boys for the so-called second wave of punk seemed to be done. They were creatively spent, having infamously made a turgid trilogy of albums (Uno!, Dos! and Tre!), as well as suffering a handful of public meltdowns. After taking a step back, they hit the reset button with 2016’s Revolution Radio, where they switched from bloated arena rockers back to the lean, street walkin’ cheetahs of yore. Offically known as Father Of All Motherfuckers, this outing – a weird and wonderful romp through rock history – continues their rebirth.

The band’s new manifesto is to be “the baddest rock band on the planet”, and while they don’t quite claim that title from Amyl And The Sniffers (soon to join Green Day on tour), Father… is still an impressive effort. Throughout, the group variously doff the cap to The Hives (‘Fire, Ready, Aim’), My Chemical Romance (‘I Was A Teenage Teenager’), and ’50s Elvis (‘Stab You In The Heart’, which brazenly purloins the melody from ‘Jailhouse Rock’). It might be derivative in parts, but it’s also a lot of fun.

The standout is ‘Graffitia’, which effectively splices The Ramones’ ‘Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?’ with The Clash’s ‘Rudie Can Fail’. Overall, a highly enjoyable listen.

Out now
7/10