Don’t be fooled by the handclaps and backup singers, Father of All… is still very much a Green Day album. Growing up still sucks and the hint of violence and hopelessness remains, but the band is certainly dressed up in something different for their first album since 2016.

Some weight is immediately lifted on the band’s 13th studio album, trading in biting commentary and sonic attacks for the “Twist and Shout” pop approach of the early 60s. More singing than sneering, Billie Joe Armstrong leads the way through a tour of the band’s other influences, poking around through Motown, British Invasion, and an array of rhythms that takes the band off the megaphone and onto the dance floor.

Father of All… arrives quick and easy, whizzing by in 26 minutes with bite-sized beats and small shots of adrenaline. The themes are all intact from the Green Day rule book, swimming through the pressures of life, raging through the party and picking up the pieces after. However in an election year as some turned their lonely eyes to a band responsible for rallying cries in the past, the GRAMMY-winning group keeps it local and away from the glow of news cycles and Twitter tirades. In a way, that’s the most punk move on the table for a trio that has already done that trick exceedingly well.

Green Day pushes rhythm and soul through their own filter on Father of All…, and it sounds like their having fun. By taking familiar parts of another era and making it their own, the band sounds more original and infectious than they have in a while, starting a new decade in new clothes but with the same heart beating through.

Father of All… is now available everywhere. The band will hit the road with Weezer and Fall Out Boy in July for the HELLA MEGA tour. You can find the full list of dates here.

LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App

Follow RADIO.COM

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram