Right from the start, Green Day’s newest album packs a punch that is typical of all of their work to date. Their ninth album, “¡Uno!,” is the first in a series of three to be released in succession. “¡Uno!” will be followed by the second installment Nov. 13 titled “¡Dos!” and then by the Jan. 15 release of “¡Tré!”

The album opens with a tremendous amount of energy that is carried throughout and never ceases. One notable track on the album is “Rusty James,” which is a brilliant track because of its smart lyrics. Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong sings, “When there’s no one left around / And you’re the last gang in town / And your heart can’t even break / When it doesn’t even pound.”

“¡Uno!” may disappoint old Green Day fans, because it serves as an example of the band’s further separation from the pure punk rock sound of their earliest work such as “Dookie” and “Nimrod.” At the start of its career, Green Day was known for singing about rebellious issues such as going against societal norms, almost letting the music come naturally with what they were singing about. Now it almost feels that the group has strayed from this and has instead opted to purely aim for producing the catchy material that they know will get played and purchased by the masses.

Overall, lyrically heartfelt and musically catchy, “¡Uno!” delivers a high-energy punk rock record that will please listeners who are looking for a solid album. However, it will disappoint some longtime Green Day fans who may have been looking for more of a revival of the simple hardcore style they became famous on.

Overall rating: 3 stars

Green Day bounces back with their ninth studio album, ‘¡Uno!’