▁A J ▁Ram ire z ▁of ▁Pop Mat ters ▁found ▁the ▁album ▁generally ▁" eng aging " ▁and ▁dub bed ▁it ▁" the ▁best ▁Green ▁Day ▁studio ▁album ▁since ▁American ▁Id iot — g iven ▁the ▁une ven ▁nature ▁of ▁the ▁LP s ▁in ▁between , ▁that ' s ▁pra ise ▁that ▁dem ands ▁qual ifiers ." ▁K err ang ! ▁compl iment ed ▁the ▁album ' s ▁" vari ety " ▁and ▁observed ▁a ▁" mus ical ▁jo ie ▁de ▁viv re " ▁throughout . ▁ ▁By ▁contrast , ▁Jason ▁H eller ▁of ▁The ▁A . V . ▁Club ▁perce ived ▁a ▁lack ▁of ▁" jo y " ▁in ▁the ▁band ' s ▁" gar age - rock ▁angle ", ▁writing ▁that ▁they ▁" fe el ▁like ▁they ' re ▁writing ▁a ▁paper ▁on ▁the ▁genre ▁rather ▁than ▁celebr ating ▁it ▁in ▁song ." ▁Phil ▁Mong red ien ▁of ▁The ▁Ob server ▁called ▁the ▁album ▁" odd ly ▁lead en ▁and ▁largely ▁wit less ", ▁and ▁critic ized ▁the ▁band ▁for ▁" f la iling ▁ever ▁further ▁from ▁the ▁pop ▁nous ▁that ▁has ▁unders cor ed ▁their ▁fin est ▁moments ". ▁Barry ▁Nicol son ▁of ▁N ME ▁found ▁¡ D os ! ▁" to o ▁cl utter ed ▁with ▁fill er ▁to ▁measure ▁up ▁against ▁the ▁best ▁of ▁the ▁band ' s ▁stuff ." ▁Sl ant ▁Magazine ' s ▁Jonathan ▁Ke efe ▁wrote ▁similarly , ▁" only ▁a ▁hand ful ▁of ▁its ▁tracks ▁are ▁truly ▁essential ▁add itions ▁to ▁the ▁Green ▁Day