Green Day, “Saviors.”

Few bands have been as prolific or as reliable over the past four decades as East Bay punk icons Green Day, yet the trio’s 14th album, Saviors, still feels like a return to form. As the group celebrates milestone anniversaries for a pair of its landmark albums, this new album feels like the sonic nexus bridging Dookie with American Idiot.

The 15-song set, the band’s first since 2020’s Father of All Motherfuckers, is as focused and well-constructed a collection as the band has released in years. From the opening notes of “The American Dream is Killing Me,” it’s easy to hear the echoes of Idiot in the blue-collar three-chord anthem. The track isn’t political so much as it is a commentary about a system that leaves out so many.

On the other end of the spectrum, “Look Ma, No Brains!” is straightforward, no-nonsense punk with an absolutely monstrous anthemic chorus.

Vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong sounds feisty and fresh, brashly screaming, “Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” on punky mid-tempo jam “Bobby Sox.” Green Day sounds tight, and the rhythm of section of bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool is recognizable and true to form. Dynamic tracks like “One Eyed Bastard” show off the band’s bluesy strut amid the punk rock snarl.

“Vendetta is a friend of mine/ Revenge is sweeter than wine,” Armstrong sings.

It’s not fair to frame a comparison with American Idiot, a generational album that came in response to a specific moment in time, but at least from a songwriting standpoint, Saviors recaptures that stadium-sized energy with the urgency the band built up at 924 Gilman. The personal and intimate “Dilemma” documents Armstrong’s own demons and his struggle in battling addiction.

“I was sober, now I’m drunk again/ I’m in trouble and in love again/ I don’t want to be a dead man walking,” Armstrong sings.

Despite the heavy subject matter, the track simply soars, offering up one of the most memorable hooks on the record. The nostalgic “1981” offers up a head-banging ode to a past generation of punk that watched the birth of MTV. Ironically, Saviors tends to shine brightest in its quieter moments like mid-tempo rocker “Goodnight Adeline,” a likely nod to West Oakland’s Adeline Street.

Much like “No Brains,” the anthemic “Coma City” pulses with a punk urgency and melody, and Dirnt handling the call-and-response backing vocal. While fans love the band’s older material, it’s easy to envision just about anything on Saviors fitting at a Green Day concert. “Corvette Summer” has a little fun, cowbell and all, leaning into bombastic rock.

The melodic “Susie Chapstick” keeps up the streak of the band’s softer side providing compelling moments. Its vocal harmonies are a bit of a throwback with its Beatles-esque sound, Armstrong grasping toward his upper register. What makes Saviors work so well is that the band has a self-awareness of its own maturity; Green Day isn’t trying to rekindle Dookie or American Idiot, but rather draw upon those albums to create the band’s 2024 sound.

Armstrong comes out swinging on “Living in the ’20s,” a fiery track that takes on societal struggles in modern American. It’s paired with “Strange Days Are Here to Stay,” both of them packing a punch both melodically and lyrically.

Ballad “Father to a Son” is lush and beautiful, lined with strings and backed by a piano.

“I never knew that love could be scarier than anger/ I promise, father to a son,” Armstrong sings.

Saviors concludes with a double shot of the title track and spacey and sarcastic ballad “Fancy Sauce.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.