Green Day
¡Uno!

An album that has sparked a lot of discussion among critics and fans alike, as it departs significantly from its predecessors.

First of all, we should say what everyone already knows: Uno! is the first album of a trilogy that Green Day released over a span of 3 months. It's an album that aims to return to the origins, to the early days of the trio.

The real problem with Uno! lies with the listener's ear. Indeed, for those who grew up with "Kerplunk" or "Dookie", and for those who discovered them with "American Idiot" or "21st Century Breakdown", although it may seem a bit strange, opinions can vary. In fact, the global ratings for Uno! range between 2.5 and 8 out of 10, so fans are quite divided, though it's also worth considering whether a person is open-minded enough to appreciate new sounds.

I'm not here to say who's right or wrong. Certainly, it may not be a great album like "American Idiot" or even better, like "Dookie", but I have to say that Uno! is a good album.

"Nuclear Family" kicks things off with a punchy song, it has a great chorus and on a first listen, it is very appealing, even if it seems like a fusion between Uno! and 21st Century Breakdown, or even American Idiot.

After a passable "Stay The Night", which isn't convincing at all and doesn't really stick in your head, we arrive at "Carpe Diem," a song that, in my opinion, slightly recalls the Clash. It's not a complex song but it still makes an impression. Then we reach the best of the album, which is... "Let Yourself Go" is the most punk rock song on the album, actually, the only one on the album, which I find somewhat sad. It's a perfect, fast, and rhythmically well-paced song.

"Kill The Dj" at first listen is really terrible, the second time around as well, but by the third listen, you can appreciate it a bit more. In fact, the song is very repetitive and even the most ignorant who doesn't know English can understand the meaning. Unfortunately, after this song, the album takes a banal and repetitive turn, as this second part of the album offers nothing substantial to be memorable to the listener.

"Loss of Control" turns out to be more beautiful than the previous song, but it lacks the extra drive that the first part of the album had. "Troublemaker", with a fairly nice meaning, turns out to be the worst of the entire album, let's say the classic filler track in the list.

"Sweet 16," needless to say, is another classic filler, but it turns out to be more enjoyable and the meaning is quite beautiful—a return to the past, but for dear Billie, it doesn't seem as cliché as a text. Finally, the pace picks up again with "Rusty James," the last nod to the past, a good chorus that gets stuck in your head right away, and one of the best of the entire trilogy.

"Oh Love," a song that wasn't liked because of the video, though to me, it reminded me of the Green Day of the past. Yet, the song is well-suited to conclude the album. Sure, it may not be a "Whatsername" or, even better, a "See the Light" to end an album, but "Oh Love" remains a simple yet fitting song.

In my opinion, the album is satisfactory. As I've already said, if it had maintained the same sound as the first part of the CD, it might have been even better. Still, overall, it's a pass.