Premiering with little notice in April 2018,
the Longshot is the punk-inflected power pop group masterminded by
Green Day's
Billie Joe Armstrong. He recorded the band's debut,
Love Is for Losers, sometime after
Green Day's 2016
Revolution Radio album, possibly by himself; the only other credited musician on the record is his son
Joey, who drummed on "Happiness."
The Longshot first surfaced in public via an Instagram in February 2018, followed by the sudden release of a three-song EP in early April.
The Longshot quickly released the full-length
Love Is for Losers on April 20, and announced a subsequent supporting tour.
Armstrong went on the road with bassist
Jeff Matika, who tours with
Green Day as a guitarist, and guitarist Kevin Preston and drummer David S. Field, who both play in
Prima Donna; Preston also plays in
Foxboro Hot Tubs, another busman's holiday for
Armstrong. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine