Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a fan of Green Day since I could put a CD in a radio and an LP on a turntable, but Saviors didn’t do anything for me. My expectations were low, especially following their 2020 flop Father of All Motherfuckers, but even then, this record failed to clear my diminished standards. At an early listening party at record store Sonic Boom, I heard the album’s first track and already knew I would be underwhelmed. Opening with the sweeping guitars, the album’s leading single “The American Dream Is Killing Me”, instilled some semblance of hope… Until Billie Joe Armstrong started singing. With mediocre lyrics and the same guitar tone they’ve had since 2004, it failed to capture my attention from the get go. 

Track three “Bobby Sox” boasts lyrics begging someone to be their girlfriend/boyfriend/best friend, and my only thought was that frontman Billie Joe Armstrong at the ripe age of 51 is simply too old to be writing that kind of juvenile line. Aside from the intermittent use of a tambourine and kitschy strings, it was sonically passable. Though not anything special, the occasional raspy vocals, familiar sounding riffs, as well as their classic bridge with a solo was certainly grounding. As the album wore on, I became increasingly aware of the formulaic nature of each track. Most of them poorly mimicked a past era, with “Goodnight Adeline” attempting to recreate the softer songs on American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown, and the title track recycling an all too familiar radio effect over the vocals. 

My most disliked track was absolutely “Fancy Sauce”, and with a name like that, who can blame me? This poor attempt at a meaningful anthem featured a line that single handedly took my rating down a few points: “I’m not crazy, you’re the one that’s crazy, everybody’s crazy.” I don’t think that requires any explanation. On a more positive note, the singles for the record are some of the stronger parts of this album, but a few of the tracks I actually enjoyed included the pop-punk-esque “1981”, mixtape material “Suzie Chapstick”, and “Strange Days Are Here To Stay.” “Living In The 20’s” receives an honorable mention simply for the intense screaming Armstrong pulls off at one point. While very little of the album felt fresh, it certainly was catchy and I could easily envision people enjoying these songs on the upcoming tour. It doesn't have as much soul as their past works do, though, with most of it feeling like a cheap imitation of the band. The lyrics widely lacked any real meaning, adding to the already AI generated feel of the album as a whole. 

Overall, one listen of this album top to bottom is entirely enough for me. Though I’d come back to a few select songs on occasion, I can’t see this record becoming a part of my rotation anytime soon. For a band of Green Day’s stature that has demonstrated their ability to create meaningful and thoughtful works even after their prime, Saviors marks another notch in an ongoing fall from grace. Why do they insist on beating a dead horse and make a mockery of all they’ve done up till now, when they’re capable of so much more? Personally, I think it’s time for Green Day to put down their instruments, middling outrage, and retire to their respective mansions.