Green Day Singer Takes Pop-Punk Back to the ’90s With Side Band

After over a decade, Green Day side project Pinhead Gunpowder has returned with their first new music since 2008.

If there’s one objective truth about Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong, it’s that he stays busy. Outside of fronting arguably the world’s biggest pop-punk band, he’s played in multiple other projects, including Pinhead Gunpowder.

The band formed back in 1991 and has been an on-again, off-again group for Armstrong and fellow members Aaron Cometbus (creator of one of the most important punk zines ever, Cometbus), Bill Schneider and Jason White (Green Day’s touring guitarist since 1999).

READ MORE: Green Day Rushed Offstage in Detroit Amid Security Threat

Today, the band announced their return with the new single “Unt,” the title track off their upcoming record, due out Oct.15 on the venerable Bay Area punk label 1-2-3-4 Go Records.

Despite it being over a decade since they released any music, “Unt” is an undeniably tight punk track, synthesizing the four members’ musical history into something extremely catchy. If you haven’t been enjoying what Armstrong has been doing with Green Day in recent years, this is the perfect throwback to the sound many fell in love with in the first place.

Check out the song below for yourself and pre-order Unt here. 

Pinhead Gunpowder, “Unt”

What Happened to Pinhead Gunpowder?

In addition to the album announcement, Aaron Cometbus spoke on why now is the time to get the band back together:

Pinhead Gunpowder started writing songs in 1990 and made our first 7” the following spring.

Nearly every year since, we’ve met up to play. Some years we recorded—five albums and eleven EPs—and some years we played shows.

But since 2010, we’ve been playing just for ourselves, something bands forget to do. Rather than “writing for the new album” or rehearsing to get ready for tour, we went back to the basement every year. We lived in the house we’d built, remembering how we’d made the music for each other in the first place. We played all over the world—well, at least Oakland, Singapore and New York—but only for each other. We worked on the reissues of our back catalog, too and found ourselves fonder of each other and more family-like than ever.

A new record and tour was only a matter of time, but between the members’ other bands projects, and families, that was hard to find. When we finally did, we were all surprised. We think it’s our best yet—our catchiest, most collaborative, and most poignant.

How Many Green Day Side Projects Are There? 

As mentioned before, Armstrong’s commitment to punk manifests itself through starting numerous bands, each with a different take on punk (and other genres). This includes The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Boo, The Shrives, The Longshot and the Upside Downers.

The rest of Green Day are no slouches either, as Mike Dirnt played in several other bands including The Frustrators, The Coverups, Desecrated Youth and Screeching Weasel. Drummer Tré Cool has played in The Lookouts, Samiam and Dead Mermaids for his own discography.

What Happened to Green Day in Detroit?

As cool as it is to get new music from Armstrong, the last 24 hours maybe haven’t been the best for Green Day. Last night (September 5th) in Detroit Michigan, the band was rushed off the stage in Comerica Park in the middle of their performance due to a security threat. You can see video and find out what went down here.

Pinhead Gunpowder, Unt Track Listing + Album Artwork

Tracklist:
1. Unt
2. Difficult But Not Impossible
3. Scum Of The Earth
4. Oh My
5. Nothing Ever Happens
6. Draw It In
7. Shine
8. ¡Hola Canada!
9. Here Goes The Neighborhood
10. Mumbles
11. Green
12. Chowchilla
13. Trash TV
14. Song For Myself