Greetings Rams, and welcome back to Behind the Music! In this issue we will be talking about a band that has been making headlines both locally and globally with the release of their new album: Blink 182. 

A little background: 

Blink 182 is a childish punk band that rose to fame in the ‘90s. Although their style has transitioned throughout the years from punk, to pop, to emo, they are recognizable by their crude and repulsive lyrics. 

Blink 182 was formed in 1992 by Tom DeLonge (guitar/lead vocals), Mark Hoppus (bass/vocals), and Scott Raynor (drums). They released their first notable studio demo, “Buddha,” in Jan. 1994. Buddha is distinguishably the work of an amateur punk band, however, its raw style is appealing to its punk fans. 

Their next two albums, “Cheshire Cat” (1995) and “Dude Ranch” (1997), marked, in my opinion, the best era of Blink 182’s music. Although they lack the ideals that make up the punk genre, the music style of these albums sets them apart from the rest of their discography. Songs such as “Carousel” and “Damnit” dominated the radio and scored Blink 182 their spot headlining iconic festivals of the ‘90s, such as the Warped Tour. 

In 1998, the band fired their drummer, Scott Raynor, and replaced him with their current drummer, Travis Barker, who had previously played in another famous band, The Aquabats. 

In 1999, the band went in a newer direction with their album “Enema of the State,” which remains their most popular album to date. Pop Punk melodies such as “All the Small Things”, “Aliens Exist,” and “What’s My Age Again” are still popular on radio stations like ALT 98.7 and KROQ (106.7). 

Blink 182 released their album “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket” in 2001, which reached the top of Billboard’s top 200 albums. The album featured catchy songs, most notably, “The Rock Show” which peaked at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart. This album kept true to its punk origins. 

However, in 2003, the band blindsided their fans with an almost obsolete change in style. They had become one of the biggest bands in the 2000s emo revolution. Their song “I Miss You” solidified them as an emo staple with bands such as Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Yellowcard to name a few. This song is still referenced in-jokes such as:

“How do you find an emo in a crowd?”, “Where are you?” (I’m positive you just heard Tom DeLounge sing that in your head). 

 The change in style gained Blink 182 new fans, but also cost them fans, myself included. 

The rest of their albums from 2011-2023 (Neighborhoods, California, Nine, and One More Time) kept to their now emo-pop style. 

The only notable difference is whether or not Tom DeLounge participated in them. He became known for his flaky participation as he kept quitting and rejoining. As of 2022, He is actively a part of the band. 

My thoughts on their new album: 

Blink released their newest album, “One More Time” on Oct. 25th, 2023.

Ultimately, I did not have high expectations for their newest contribution to the music industry, however, I must admit that this album is probably the most mature of their albums to date. The fact that only nine of their 17 songs are explicit is proof that these almost 50-year-olds can grow up. 

All jokes aside, this album deals with themes of loss, cherishing loved ones, reminiscing on the past, and feeling like you don’t belong. Songs such as “One More Time”, “When We Were Young”, “Turpentine”, and “Childhood” most clearly expressed these sentimental themes. 

“One More Time” is an ode to the band’s shaky history. It explores Travis Barker’s struggles of recovery after the plane crash in 2008, Mark Hoppus’s stage 4 cancer battle, and Tom DeLounge’s flaky history with quitting the band. 

The song features the lyrics “It shouldn’t take a sickness or airplanes falling

out of the sky. Do I have to die to hear you miss me? Do I have to die to hear you say goodbye? I don’t want to act like there’s tomorrow. I don’t want to wait to do this one more time.” These lyrics deliver a carpe diem (seize the day) form of message. 

This album also kept true to the band’s emo-pop history with the majority of its songs, including “Fell in Love”, “More than you know”, “Blink Wave”, and “Other Side”. Although the style is not for me, if you are into 2000s-style emo pop, I recommend this album to you. They incorporated spunky drum beats with clapping and clicking to complexify the backtracks. 

Although Blink 182 has committed to the poppy emo style, there were a few songs that felt true to their retro years. The most known is their song “Edging”, which was released as a single to announce the coming of their new album on Oct. 13, 2022. 

I remember hearing “Edging” on the radio for the first time and thinking it sounded very true to their sound from the late 90s, with raunchy lyrics, and everything. The true Blink style. 

Local News: 

Blink made local headlines twice in October.

On Oct. 25th the band posted on their Instagram that on the next day, Thur. On Oct. 26th, they will be doing an exclusive album signing at Fingerprints in Long Beach. On the 26th, lines went on for blocks, with fans lining up as early as 6:00 a.m. to get their signed merchandise! The band arrived at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time and spent hours signing albums to promote their new albums.

Jasper Whitten, a junior in COMPASS, who went to the album signing, said, “ I think it was a nice way for them [Blink-182] to show their appreciation towards their fans and also towards the business [Fingerprints]. I loved getting the opportunity to go meet some of my favorite artists.” 

Later that evening, the band members played a surprise show at a Denny’s in Long Beach. The band played their new song “The Anthem 3” in tribute to a 2013 meme where the band, Live Without, played at a Denny’s. 

The following day they posted a video of the show on their Instagram with the caption, “Coming to stadiums, arenas, and @dennysdiner locations near you in 2024.” 

Blink 182 is touring with Pierce the Veil and will be playing at Sofi Stadium on July 6, 2024. 

That’s all for now rams, and remember, listen to what makes you happy.