Green Day plan to 'just go for it' on new album

You'd have to be an idiot to bet against these guys
You'd have to be an idiot to bet against these guys

Many fans of Green Day would call the band's 2004 album, American Idiot, a brilliant concept album with the concept being this: every song was brilliant. In short, it's the record the group can't possibly top.

Or can they? In an interview with Alternative Press, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong promises the group aren't resting on their laurels, and that their best work may be coming soon.

"I really like fucking with arrangements, and I always try to look at the possibilities of how you write power-pop music," says Armstrong. "I'm pushing myself to be progressive in songwriting and being a songwriter.

"I come from a culture where I'm into great albums. I'm not saying I can go for it this hard every time - there might be times when I want to have something that's a little bit more spontaneous and off the cuff - but with this record, the feeling's been that you've got to just go for it."

"He's just got a lot of integrity and a lot of class" Billie Joe Armstrong on producer Butch Vig

Armstrong hearts Vig

As we previously noted, Green Day are working with producer Butch Vig - he of Nirvana's Nevermind and a member of the band Garbage - in place of longtime helmer Rob Cavallo. Armstrong sounds stoked by the Vig's musical approach.

"He's just got a lot of integrity and a lot of class, and one of the things I really respect about Butch is that he doesn't just go for things that are going to be million-sellers," Armstrong says.

"He works with a lot of different kinds of bands, and it could be a platinum band, or it could be more of a garage band. I feel like we kind of come from the same place, where he started in Wisconsin in kind of a garage-y atmosphere and working with bands at Smart Studios, and you know, we made our first record for $700."

MusicRadar is going out on a limb here, but we're guessing the new Green Day album might come in a tad over $700. Just a wild guess.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.