REVIEW: Green Day's 'Bang Bang'

Billy Jackson
Sep 26, 2016
2 min read

Nobody needs reminding that the goliath sized figure heads of musical debate and the nonetheless indisputable kings of popular punk rock, Green Day, have taken to the worlds airwaves again; heralding the first coming of their latest monument, ‘Revolution Radio’. This is set to be their 12th studio album, respectively due on October 7th. The single, aptly named ‘Bang, Bang’, is 3 and a half minutes of razor sharp retrospective and power chords that finds the band’s earlier sounds thrown into the ring with their more recent socio-political analytics - the result is unmistakable.

It’s pure Green Day.

Lines like ‘Bang, bang give me fame, shoot me up to entertain’ are thrown out in Armstrong’s snarling repertoire and it’s clear he’s angry; he’s offering a no nonsense state of the nation address on the twisted glorification and pseudo-celebrity culture of gun violence. This song was written as a bitter mockery from inside the mind of the kind of terrorism that plagues the pages of modern media, a grave portrayal of the anti-hero aching to play God in his own violent fantasy.

If you’ve ever listened to American Idiot, 99 Revolutions or 21st Century Breakdown you’ll know that this is what Green Day have done best in the recent years, they put their fingers on the beating vein of the western civilization and they broadcast that pulse in the voices of the ones who are sick of it all.

Besides the clear and relevant message of the premiere single, it packs a definite musical punch too. Even the most hardcore Green Day denailist would find it hard to discredit the mounting climax of frustration and strident echo of dissonance evident in this score.

The rage and the call of passion within, is meted perfectly into unapologetic instrument thrashing and a call to arms drum beat which would leave even the most mellow among us ready for a revolution.

However it is habitual of the band as of late to release their first singles in form of fast, gritty and cogent, followed by an album which includes some surprisingly gentler dispensations to be found among the rocks of their roots. Offering as always to the old and new generations alike, a fresh perspective on both music and immorally sold morbid fascinations, Green Day remain unflinching with this most recent installment - call them what you will. One thing is for sure, the world is baited for #RevRad.

Watch the Offical lyric video for Bang Bang here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg5Bp_Gzs0s