Green Day Put Out A New Album Today - 'Father Of All Motherfuckers' - Let's Talk About It!
Green Day released their thirteenth studio album today, entitled 'Father of All Motherfuckers', and I gotta tell ya - I'm pleasantly surprised with the record that it is!
There were initially some rumors that 'Father of All...' was a big "FUCK YOU" to their label, being this WAS the last album on their deal, it has a really different garage-rock sound (almost reminiscent of the band's side project: Foxboro Hot Tubs) than what Green Day fans are used to hearing, and it's got more brevity than we've seen outta Billie Joe Armstrong in quite some time, clocking in at just over 26 minutes in total, but I think it's safe to dispel those rumors now.
Similar to blink-182's 'NINE' from last Fall, it feels like the label just didn't have a clue on how to handle the roll out for this album at all, leading them to select some not-so-great tracks as singles (looking at you 'Fire, Ready, Aim'), but there's a lot of solid substance once you dive into the full length drop.
I'm gonna hop in track-by-track now and kinda let you know what my first impressions are (having listened through it probably a dozen or so times since the leak)...
1. '...Father of All' - B+
The album's title track '...Father of All' grows on me more and more with every listen. Once you get past the somewhat jarring falsetto vocals from Billie Joe Armstrong you'll be dancing and singing along in no time. It's actually crazy how often this one is stuck in my head. Straight up banger.
2. 'Fire, Ready, Aim' - D
Jeez - this is not good. On the surface, it ain't all that different from the opening track, I guess, but on 'Fire, Ready, Aim' the boys may have gone a bit too far in a few places. It just sounds way too bleh, bland, and fit for a Google commercial or some shit. Skip!
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3. 'Oh Yeah!' - C+
In 'Oh Yeah!', Green Day samples a clip for the very first time in their careers - from Joan Jett's 'Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)' off her 1980 smash 'Bad Reputation', written by Gary Glitter. When they put out the video, they tossed in this little note:
"One of the writers on that song is a total asshole, so we’re donating our royalties from this song to IJM and RAINN."
Gary Glitter is obviously that total asshole.
'Oh Yeah!' is still pretty overproduced and commercial-y, but for me, it works! It ain't revolutionary or anything, but with that powerful Mike Dirnt bassline and the beginning of what becomes a very self-referential album (I hear a melody pulled straight from 'Bang Bang!' off their last record, 'Revolution Radio', which follows the same themes as this song), I really dig what they were going for here.
4. 'Meet Me on the Roof' - B+
I LOVE this song. It's got such happy throwback doo-wop vibes, an incredibly catchy hook, and a swing you don't hear too often from the punk rock trio! This is definitely one of the tracks I was referring to when I said FOAMF featured some of the old 'Foxboro Hot Tubs' sound.
5. 'I Was a Teenage Teenager' - D
Everything about this one just feels lazy Weezer song. I'm not a fan at all. Skip.
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6. 'Stab You in the Heart' - B
Talk about a throwback sound! This could be a vintage surfer rock tune from the 60's!
Yeah, I know the 'Jailhouse Rock' style riffs have been used to death at this point - even by Green Day themselves - but I don't really care. 'Stab You in the Heart' fucking GOOOEEESSSSSSS and makes me wanna hear Billie Joe shred way more in this lane.
Also, that Batman '66 type outro? Fire.
7. 'Sugar Youth' - A+
In my opinion, 'Sugar Youth' is the best song on the album. It's the perfect blend of the FOAMF style and the classic Green Day sound that we all know and love - all the way down to BJA's cadence on "DAN-GER-OUS" being exactly the same as when he drops it on 'She's A Rebel' - another callback I loved.
This is balls to the wall rock n' roll in the best way. It ain't even 2 minutes long, but it uses its time well, and I don't think you feel shorted when it wraps up.
8. 'Junkies on a High' - C+
I have a feeling 'Junkies on a High' is gonna be the most polarizing track on 'Father of all Motherfuckers' based on the rips and comparisons to 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' I've seen already.
It sorta does sound like that, and while I don't hate it (some of those "watch the world BURRNNNNN" drops go hard), I can't see myself going back to this one super often. There's room for it to grow on me, however, as most of this record has.
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9. 'Take the Money and Crawl' - B+
This is a super fun and energetic punk rock song that - like 'Sugar Youth' - blends a bunch of different sounds and eras of the band together really well. The songwriting is…very Green Day:
…but I'm way in for it. You can take a walk or suck my cock if you ain't.
10. 'Graffitia' - A
'Father of all Motherfuckers' closes incredibly strong with 'Graffitia' - the only 3+ minute track on the record - another one just so sonically happy and upbeat you can't help but smile and nod your head along to it. It's very 'I Fought The Law' and I'd have to imagine Billie Joe wrote this one with the 'Hella Mega Tour' in mind, because it's the perfect singalong.
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Overall, I'd call Green Day's 13th album a success.
It's hit or miss for a bit, but when it finds its footing, it digs its feet into the ground and delivers a fresh new spin on the music Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre have been giving us for decades. It doesn't hold a candle to 'Dookie' or 'American Idiot' or any of those classic records you know and love, but at the same time, I don't think it's trying to. I think 'Father of all Motherfuckers' is just a collection of carefree rock n' roll tunes and throwback jams that the trio had a blast recording. They'll be a blast live, too.
I can't wait to see 'em on the 'Hella Mega Tour' this Summer.
As a Green Day fan for pretty much my entire life…
…I appreciate that they're still trying out new shit, and not in that constant attempt to recreate their library like other bands get stuck in; and I am very happy to have a couple new Green Day tracks from 2020 to enjoy from here on out.