“I think that this record is sort of the best of everything that Green Day has." Billie Joe Armstrong says forthcoming Green Day album "bridges the gap" between American Idiot and Dookie

Green Day
(Image credit: 102.1 The Edge)

Green Day have shared new details of their forthcoming new album Saviors.

During a recent interview on 102.1 The Edge, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong described the upcoming record - which is due out on January 19, 2024 via Reprise/Warner - as the "best" material of the band's career.

Armstrong additionally pedestals Savior as comparable in quality to Green Day's most successful albums, including 2004's groundbreaking rock opera American Idiot and their 1994 breakthrough record Dookie.

When asked whether the punk trio considers Saviors to be “part two” to American Idiot, Armstrong responds: “[It’s] the 30 years of experience that we have, kind of come together. Whether it’s something from ‘Dookie’ or American Idiot’, I think somehow we were able to bridge the gap in making something that is like an essential record for us.”

The vocalist also goes on to explain how the album's lead single The American Dream Is Killing Me was actually written during the time period of their previous album, 2020's Father Of All Motherfuckers, revealing that it was shelved due to the band not wanting to add another politically-charged anthem to an already overly-saturated landscape of political unrest within America.

"The American Dream Is Killing Me originally was written about three or four years ago, so it’s technically the first song on the record. But for Father Of All… we didn’t want to go political because it was so obvious", he explains. "It was such low-hanging fruit because we had just terrible politics and terrible division in the United States.

“But this time, we brought it out and it felt like it was the perfect time for it. We got away from the politics for a while [because] we didn’t want to be like another pundit on CNN, finger-pointing."

He continues: “But political songs… It takes a lot of heart to do that. I think if you keep doing it for the sake of doing it, just because you’re angry, then you take the heart out of it. Then it just becomes part of what everyone is complaining about. So it takes those special, inspired moments to really have a moment like The American Dream Is Killing Me.”

Watch the interview below:

Next year, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool will hit the road for a trek around Europe and the UK, kicking off in May.

The tour will promote new album Saviors, as well as commemorate the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot.

Following a few festival appearances, the trio will head to North America for a long run between July and September.

Check out the dates below:

Green Day Europe and UK tour dates 2024

Thu May 30 – Monte do Gozo, Spain – O Son do Camino
Sat Jun 1 – Madrid Spain – Road to Rio Babel
Wed Jun 5 – Lyon Decines – LDLC Arena
Fri Jun 7 – Nurnberg Germany – Rock im Park
Sat Jun 8 – Nurburgring Germany – Rock am Ring
Mon Jun 10 – Berlin Germany – Waldbühne
Tue Jun 11 – Hamburg Germany – Trabrennbahn Bahrenfeld
Sat Jun 15 – Interlaken Switzerland – Greenfield Festival
Sun Jun 16 – Milan Italy – I Days - Hippodrome La Maura
Tue Jun 18 – Paris France – Accor Arena
Wed Jun 19 – Arnhem Netherlands – GelreDome
Fri Jun 21 – Manchester UK – Emirates Old Trafford
Sun Jun 23 – Isle of Wight UK – Isle of Wight Festival
Tue Jun 25 – Glasgow UK – Bellahouston Park
Thu Jun 27 – Dublin Ireland – Marlay Park
Sat Jun 29 London UK – Wembley Stadium 

Green Day North American tour dates 2024

Mon Jul 29 – Washington, DC – Nationals Park 
Thu Aug 01 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre 
Sat Aug 03 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
Mon Aug 05 – New York, NY – Citi Field
Wed Aug 07 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
Fri Aug 09 – Philadelphia, PA – Citizens Bank Park
Sat Aug 10 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium 
Tue Aug 13 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field 
Thu Aug 15 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sat Aug 17 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Field 
Tue Aug 20 – Kansas City, KS – Azura Amphitheatre
Thu Aug 22 – Cincinnati, OH – Great American Ballpark 
Sat Aug 24 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Field 
Mon Aug 26 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion !
Wed Aug 28 – Atlanta, GA – Truist Park
Fri Aug 30 – Nashville, TN – Geodis Park 
Sun Sep 01 – Pittsburgh, PA – PNC Park
Wed Sep 04 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
Sat Sep 07 – Denver, CO – Coors Field
Tue Sep 10 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Wed Sep 11 – Arlington, TX – Globe Life Field   
Sat Sep 14 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium 
Wed Sep 18 – Phoenix, AZ – Chase Field
Fri Sep 20 – San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park 
Mon Sep 23 – Seattle, WA – T-Mobile Park
Wed Sep 25 – Portland, OR – Providence Park
Sat Sep 28 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park

Liz Scarlett

Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.