It’s been an impressive week of new music from some old favourites. Legendary rock acts Bon Jovi and Green Day both make colossal comebacks with all-new material, whilst OneRepublic debut their second single taken from their upcoming fourth album.
‘This House Is Not for Sale’ by Bon Jovi
It’s been a challenging few years for Bon Jovi. From their bust-up last year with Mercury Records to their lead guitarist Richie Sambora dropping out in 2013 – it’s safe to say their roller coaster career changes left fans worried for the band’s future.
But all is not lost – This House Is Not for Sale comes only a year after their “fan record” Burning Bridges shot to success by peaking at #3 on the Official Albums Chart. Burning Bridges was primarily released to fulfil their contract with Mercury Records and explicitly referenced Bon Jovi’s dissatisfaction with the label throughout the album. So, if they wrote Burning Bridges in a bad mood – I wonder what there is to expect now that Bon Jovi have finally received that 32-year-long wait for creative freedom?
The single, which shares the same title as their upcoming fourteenth album which is due on October 21, returns right back to the band’s roots with a noticeable mixture of old sounds yet still manages to feature fresher qualities including the catchy “I’m coming home” chant. Jon Bon Jovi’s voice has remained as husky as ever, which really suits the country/rock hybrid that the song upholds. Just by reading the title of the track, you can see that Bon Jovi are claiming back what’s rightfully theirs, and have bravely injected a bit of sass into the song, reinstating that they made the right decision all along.
I’d say it deserves a respectable 3.5/5.
‘Bang Bang’ by Green Day
Back, bold and louder than ever. When Green Day wants to make their voices heard, they sure know how to grab the world’s attention. It’s been four long years, but Green Day are finally here with Bang Bang, a song with a lot of noise and a crucial talking point that successfully brings Green Day back to relevance.
Sticking with what they know best, the band have ventured back to the punk promise-land, with Bang Bang hinting at a few hues from many people’s all-time favourite album American Idiot. However, it wouldn’t be a Green Day record if there wasn’t a serious motive behind producing it. As explained by front man Billie Joe Armstrong in an interview with Rolling Stone, the song was written through the perspective of a mass shooter. He also noted that the band’s upcoming album Revolution Radio (due October 7) will serve as a form of social commentary to the current events happening in America.
What I particularly like about this track is that its loud, its classic Green Day, and it’s like a void has been filled since the release of their 2012 album trilogy ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! which didn’t quite hit the spot like American Idiot did.
I give it a solid 4/5.
‘Kids’ by OneRepublic
Do OneRepublic ever get it wrong? They’re so dependable when it comes to creating catchy, unique yet instantly-recognisable ‘OneRepublic’ pop songs – and their new single Kids delivers on just that.
Despite summer coming to a close, one listen to Kids and OneRepublic have us catapulted us straight back to the beginning of summer, completely forgetting what time of year it is. It’s fresh and has a sense of light-hearted nostalgia to it, reminding us of younger, childhood times and to enjoy life as it is rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. If you ask me, it’s a perfect upbeat late summer track that’ll be great for what we have left of those sunny afternoons.
Kids is the second song to be taken from their upcoming fourth album, and follows the first single Wherever I Go which peaked at no #29. The five-piece band are certainly ones to watch at the moment, with front man Ryan Tedder recently confirming collaborations with Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams and Romy from The xx ahead of the new album which is currently unnamed with no release date.
I give it a 3.5/5, enjoy it here:
