From snotty punk-rockers, to political activists to everything in between, it’s tough to dredge up shoes that legendary west-coast rockers Green Day haven’t filled. After the sweeping, politically-charged 21st Century Breakdown, which scored the group a Grammy three years ago, frontman and lyricist Billie Joe Armstrong, along with bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool pulled a fast one on us; just when we thought their activist endeavours were here to stay, UNO! is a breathless, hurdling blast from the past. With their latest effort, the trio is back to square one,with radio-friendly, touch-and-go pop-punk.
In many ways, UNO! feels like it’s sitting on the fence; the lyrics and breakneck-speed of the third single, “Let Yourself Go,” scream mid-90s, pissed-off-teen punk. It’s a welcome slap in the face that hearkens back to Green Day’s beginnings on Kerplunk and their sophomore breakout record, Dookie. But the first track, “Nuclear Family,” bears little resemblance; chugging along with a generic guitar riff and lacklustre vocals, it’s a stale, unexciting start.
Alongside long-time producer Rob Cavallo, the band opted for a stripped-down take on the new album. The record sticks to the script, with little beyond the usual guitar crunch, heavy bass lines and throbbing drums.
“Carpe Diem” is a clichéd anthem for the troubled youth. With its annoyingly catchy chorus, fit with Armstrong crooning, “Carpe Diem, a battle cry/Are we all too young to die?”, it’s one of the album’s highlights, and sure to have listeners humming it a few hours later without realizing it.
Songs with booze and babes as the centrepieces litter the track listing on the record (a far cry from heavy-hitting anti-war tunes like “21 Guns” or “Holiday”). Echoes of vintage Beatles love ditties ring through on “Fell For You,” where Armstrong slinks into the mushier side of things: “I had a dream that I kissed your lips/And it felt so true/Then I woke up as a nervous wreck/And I fell for you.”
The whole album can’t help but feel like a disenchanted venture into a mish-mash of Green Day’s lengthy history as a band. It’s short, rough, and forgettable; but that’s all part of the shtick. If their 2004 smash-hit record American Idiot was a prestigious political science scholar, UNO! proves to be an underachieving, stoned-silly college dropout. And that’s where UNO! finds its strength: trying less.
This may come as a surprise to Armstrong and his cronies, but it ain’t 1994 anymore; the old tricks that wooed their fans nearly two decades ago aren’t cutting it (and neither are their receding hairlines). UNO! isn’t necessarily breaking any barriers, and that’s a bit of a relief; after two records specifically designed to go against the flow, the band stuck to the formula. With just about 40 minutes worth of mosh-pit punk pumped with glam-rock hooks and a more basic approach, UNO! is like coming up for a breath of stinging, harsh air after mulling around in a pool of Green Day’s political musings for the past eight years. But it still seems half-hearted.
“Where the fuck is your old gang, man?” shouts the legendary punk frontman. The main strength Green Day does have is that their old gang is still kicking; the trio have been together for over 20 years, and show no signs of slowing down with another two studio albums due out in the next four months. Keep an eye out for DOS! And TRE!; hopefully they improve on the catchy yet incredibly average tunes found on UNO!.
