On January 5, Bay Area punks Green Day released the fourth single from their upcoming 14th studio album Saviors, “One Eyed Bastard.”
Said frontman Billie Joe Armstrong of the track:
“‘One Eyed Bastard’ started off as just a riff that I had — a shuffle, almost like a Black Sabbath kind of riff. Lyrically, I was just reflecting on bad times in life. That’s the thing about nostalgia — sometimes you think, ‘That was an awful time.’ Everybody’s got that ugly place in their life where they have to deal with ugly thoughts — it could be like revenge or whatever. Thankfully, I have an outlet in songwriting.”
“One Eyed Bastard” is a street fight in a song. That aforementioned distorted guitar riff (which people have been claiming is very close to a riff in P!nk’s “So What”) draws you into the angry energy to start the song. The lyrics then come in with a slyness and calm anger that’s like cracking knuckles before a fight. When you hit the pre-chorus and chorus, the gang vocals and aggressive melody make you feel the anger and brace for impact. It’s a track that gets you up and jumping around.
Like the previous tracks the band has released, “One Eyed Bastard” has the feel of early-mid career Green Day tracks with a newer flair. In this case, the song is lyrically reminiscent of “Ha Ha You’re Dead” from the band’s 2002 b-sides album Shenanigans, but with a sound more closely resembling something off Revolution Radio.
Saviors is set to hit shelves on January 19. Previously, Green Day released the singles “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” “Look Ma, No Brains!” and “Dilemma.”
The band will be previewing the album during free listening events at independent record shops all over the world starting January 13.
In 2024, the band will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2004 album American Idiot and 30th anniversary of 1994 album Dookie.
Green Day will be heading out on tour later this year with a European tour starting in May with support from Nothing But Thieves, The Hives, Donuts, The Interrupters and Maid Of Ace. They will then take on North America for a summer run starting in July with The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas.
