IF You Like Green Day, check Out…

By Abena Oppon

Punk-rockers Green Day just released their 14th album Saviors, and so for new and old fans alike, I decided to tackle them this month. The band has been together for 37 years, 33 of those composed of trio leading man Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool. Their extensive discography ranges from the bratty spark of songs like ‘Basket Case’, to the old-man political musings of recent single ‘The American Dream is Killing Me’. I think their music is a bit like a pick n mix — even as a fan, you’ll really like some of their songs and despise some others, and this makes their music a great pathway to a wide spread of Pop Punk and Rock music, some of which you will find below:

PUP

Canadian punk band PUP carry the same vivaciousness that Green Day have been known for, but overall have a more emotionally intelligent angle than even Green Day’s most introspective works. Much of the inherent immaturity found in Green Day’s music is found in PUP’s, but the most crucial difference between the two is that PUP’s lyrics (delivered with gumption and charm by frontman Stefan Babcock) have just that bit more nuance.

If you like ‘Basket Case’ from 1994’s Dookie, PUP’s 2019 album Morbid Stuff is for you. An album that speaks about desperation, sadness, and anxiety with cathartic honesty but also humorous levity, it shares much of its subject matter with the Green Day song (which Billie Joe Armstrong wrote preceding being diagnosed with a panic disorder). Morbid Stuff speaks a little bit more to modern tastes; it is a whole album about self-reflection, poor actions and negative thoughts explained with language that doesn’t feel trite, but also isn’t as crass as ‘Basket Case’. The titular ‘Morbid Stuff’ as well as ‘Free at Last’ in particular are ones to consider.

‘Bang Bang’ from Green Day’s 2016 album Revolution Radio revels in the darkness of the domestic terrorist persona that Billie Joe Armstrong embodies. It is a bit of an indecipherable song for me — I can never figure out if it is ironic enough in its bluntness to not be co-opted by the kind of people it aims to satirise. If you like this factor, but wish it were not so obviously of its time, then definitely check out PUP’s song ‘Scorpion Hill’, a tale of a man led by misfortune to some “pretty dark thoughts”.

PUP songs like ‘Full Blown Meltdown’, ‘Dark Days’, and ‘Back Against the Wall’ have the same melodic basslines that Mike Dirnt is known for, found on Green Day songs like ‘Longview’ and ‘When I Come Around’. ‘See You at Your Funeral’ has the same acerbic pettiness as ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’. PUP’s early music was akin to that of early Green Day: they were both a bit rough, but also indicative of what was to come once the bands both refined their sound. 

All in all, the two are very similar. PUP are for anyone that wishes that Green Day still had the youthful spark they did 20 years ago — but who could blame them for losing it? Billie Joe Armstrong can’t play the role of callous teenager-slash-manchild forever.

Neck Deep

Wrexham band Neck Deep are unadulterated Pop-Punk concentrate. It is amusing that the Pop Punk accent transcends continents and travels the world undiluted, because you would never guess that lead singer Ben Barlow is Welsh by listening to him. In the best way possible, Neck Deep sound like a copycat band of Green Day, or contemporaries Blink-128.

‘In Bloom’, from their 2017 album The Peace and the Panic, perfectly exemplifies this. The song sounds like it was made in 2004, full of emo tropes and restless angst that does not detract from the sincere emotion. Similarly, if you like the plain sorrow of ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’, ‘Wish You Were Here’, a guitar-led ballad, is for you. Fans of Green Day’s more resigned political works, such as ‘21 Guns’, and ‘Troubled Times’, should check out ‘Happy Judgement Day’. ‘Minority’ is one of Green Day’s most simplistic, yet catchy songs, and ‘We Need More Bricks’ from Neck Deep’s new self-titled album captures the same carefree essence.

Both Green Day and Neck Deep are pretty simple artists. Their biggest hits give you a perfect glimpse into the music they make; there is no need to make a concerted effort to listen to every single song they have because you won’t always find something new. If you like that about Green Day, definitely give Neck Deep a try.

Paramore

After the Green Days and Blink-182s of the world came Paramore. Signed to a contract by Atlantic Records at age 14, (that they only just fulfilled!) they have been mainstays of the genre for 20 years. For a long time they were not taken seriously by pop-punk fans and music critics alike — simply because they were a female-fronted band and their music was so similar to that of other acts at that moment. Over the years they have been given their accolades, but from the beginning their music contained catchy melodies and a precocious eye for canny lyricism, just as Green Day did.

The front half of their discography — the streak from their debut All We Know is Falling to Brand New Eyes — is the most Pop Punk heavy. ‘Misery Business’ is of course a great pick for any pop punk fan, but the lesser-known ‘All We Know’ and ‘Emergency’ are also worth consideration. ‘For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic’ with its minor key and upbeat cynicism is reminiscent of Dookie and Warning-era Green Day.‘Brick by Boring Brick’ would be for you if you like the suburban dullness that is poked fun at in ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ from Green Day’s 2004 concept album American Idiot. The social commentary of ‘Holiday’ and pessimism of ‘Nice Guys Finish Last’ can be found on Paramore’s ‘The News’ and ‘You First’ from their most recent album, This is Why.

Even though Paramore have moved into the realms of synth-pop, mainstream rock, and post-punk on their last three records, Green Day have also done the same thing. Green Day’s foray into more emotional anthems like ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ and ‘Still Breathing’ (both of which deal in some way with the passing of Billie Joe Armstrong’s father when he was a child) introduced some vulnerability into the band’s discography. While Paramore’s music never entirely lacked this, the teenage irony was slowly peeled back with songs like ‘All I Wanted’ and ‘Last Hope’.

Red Hot Chili Peppers 

Outside of the pop-punk continuum come Red Hot Chili Peppers. Outside of Green Day’s usual upbeat punk numbers, there is a not insignificant portion of their discography that is firmly soft rock. Much of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ biggest hits are in this genre, from the melancholic ‘Californication’ (similar in themes to ‘American Idiot’ and in sound to ‘Restless Heart Syndrome’) to ‘Otherside’ and ‘Under the Bridge’.

Fans of early songs ‘In the Library’ and ‘Green Day’ from 39/Smooth will love the energetic backing vocals and harmonies of ‘Can’t Stop’. The voices of lead singer Anthony Kiedis and guitarist John Frusciante fit together on this song similar to the way Mike Dirnt’s oblique harmonies are layered with Billie Joe Armstrong’s voice. 

Red Hot Chili Peppers are another band with a great bassist - this time, in Michael Balzary, known by his stage name Flea. While ‘Can’t Stop’ is the obvious show of his talents, ‘Snow (Hey Oh)’ is perfect for fans of ‘When I Come Around’ while both ‘The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie’ and ‘Dani California’ are similar to ‘Kill the DJ’. 

This might be a bit of an underhand comparison, but if you’re one of the few Green Day fans who enjoy the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! album trilogy, then you might enjoy Red Hot Chili Peppers songs ‘Give it Away’ and ‘Tippa My Tongue’. Both are fun because of how much of a ridiculous self-parody they are — the trilogy contains ridiculous songs like ‘Fuck Time’ and a lot of similar-sounding Green Day fodder, and late-stage Red Hot Chili Peppers music is mostly nonsensical lyrics sung in a catchy rhythm. If you’re still a Green Day fan given their making things like Father of All Motherfuckers and ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré!, then I imagine you have a good sense of humour about your favourite artists jumping the shark.