When most people hear “Blink-182“ they either think of “All The Small Things,” “What’s My Age Again?” or “I Miss You.” All of those songs came out before 2005. Not many people think of the band as anything other than a “flash in the pan” early 2000s pop-punk group.
I would consider myself in that group for the most part. However, they proved they still have some chops on their newest album “ONE MORE TIME.” This is the first album to feature the classic lineup of Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker in nearly a decade.
Enema of the State
I get constantly clowned on for this, but I stand by it. “Enema of the State” is one of the greatest albums of all time. It’s a masterpiece of cohesive songwriting combined with pure 20-something-year-old angst. There is not a single dull moment on the tight 35-minute album. Apart from this, I had no interest in listening to any of Blink-182’s other work. That was until I heard they were bringing back the original crew.
The Sounds
“ONE MORE TIME” feels very Blink-182 in the best way possible. DeLonge still sounds like himself, just a bit older and a bit more weary. Hoppus, despite a recent cancer diagnosis still sounds great too. Barker stepped up from just drumming to also producing the album.
The songwriting is where most of the standard Blink-182 flair comes into effect. It is especially prominent in their emo songs about the love that could have been. Their pseudo-try-hard attempts at being edgy in their less than 30-second songs also feel very typical. That may sound like a negative, but the super short songs are super reminiscent of old-school NOFX-style skate-punk, which is a welcome avenue for them to tackle.
Production
The instrumentation on the album is solid. The production by Barker, however, just does not feel right at all. It almost sounds like Barker is using a drum machine at points. It makes the whole album sound almost electronic, which really does not fit the vibe.
Maybe I’m just old school and I like my punk to be barely produced at all. Punk is at its best when it sounds like it was recorded in a garage with no soundproofing and dollar store mics. “ONE MORE TIME” tries to be punk, but the production tries to make it pop. Granted, the mixing of the genres is the band’s schtick. However, the overall album sounds too much like pop.
The band stepping out of their typical style is a bad thing at all. My favorite song on the album, “ONE MORE TIME” is mostly acoustic. It features a piano and sparse percussion as the song goes on.
This song is actually great. It is different enough and it stands out from Blink-182 while still sounding like them. If you like Blink-182’s earlier stuff and just kinda wanna check in and see how they are all doing, listen to this album. It’s certainly not better than “Enema of the State.” To be fair though, it is hard to make anything better than that masterpiece.
