Yesterday (the 24th September) saw the release of ¡Uno! The latest album from Green Day; hot on the heels of the release is an album review by Erika one of our guest posters here on the Eyesore Merch blog.

“¡Uno!” is the ninth studio album from Green Day, but it will be soon followed by a tenth and eleventh in a couple of months! Billie Joe Armstrong has explained this trilogy as the band just felt especially creative and sitting down in the studio the songs just kept coming so they decided to write them all and record them all. Green Day’s sound has changed over time, but there’s no such thing as “old” Green Day and “new” Green Day, there’s a band, there are three artists who grow up. It’s about the age, the adult life but it also is about artistically maturing. The last two studio albums from the band – American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, respectively – have officially created the world of pop punk and “¡Uno!” is definitely on its way to follow them.

“Nuclear Family” – the album’s fourth single, serves an excellent introduction to the album with a great melody. The band shows their return “Gonna ride the world like a merry-go-round/ Like a ferris wheel like it’s breaking down/ Drinking angel’s piss, gonna crash and burn/ I just want some action so gimme my turn”

“Stay The Night” – might lyrically remind Gin Blossom’s Hey Jealousy. A simple every-age love song to dedicate.

“Carpe Diem” – is the anthem of the entire album and probably the anthem to a whole generation of guys. It’s a catchy and an enjoyable track.

“Let Yourself Go” – the album’s third single, simply provides Billie Joel’s personal aim “Shut your mouth ‘cause you’re talking too much and I don’t give a f—k anyway!”

“Kill The DJ” – the album’s second single, personally expresses what I always think every single time I’m in a club or at a party…a Funny, entertaining, amusing and humorous track.

“Fell For You” – a special, straight forward love song everyone can relate to.

“Loss Of Control” – kinda makes me think of what happened at iHeartRadio show, what about you? Such a great rock song.

“Troublemaker” – Kinda repetitive chorus (maybe a radio-friendly song? Thought as a future single), but has the best solo on the album.

“Angel Blue” – another great rocker and lyrically nice song.

“Sweet 16” – great pop punk song. Quieter and cleaner than the rest, but very lovable (maybe most of punk rock Green Day fans of Dookie and Insomniac won’t like it…but who knows!?)

“Rusty James” – one of the strongest songs of the album, sounds like Loss of Control Carpe Diem.

“Oh Love” – I really wanted to give a “kiss” to this song. I was incredibly blown away by this first single, thinking of the darker songs of the previous album, Oh Love took all the happiness and joy of people that enjoy life and love. Probably one of my favorite. And this is not the closing of the whole thing, you can sneak in and wait for “¡Dos!”

“¡Uno!” definitely is THE ALBUM of the year…at least of my year! I’m enjoying seeing an album from Green Day that isn’t a rock opera, (something different finally!) and I’m looking forward to the next two installments of the trilogy. The album is really amazing to me, edgy, high energy catchy songs that still say something without trying to teach you philosophy! I honestly can’t pick a “least favorite“, but I can say that Stay the Night, Carpe Diem, Let Yourself Go and Oh Love are the highlights for me.

Album review by Erika M.