Blink-182 is one of the most influential pop-punk bands of their time being that so many people to this day still recognize their music. People are drawn to the emotional voices of Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge, as well as the incredible drumming by Travis Barker. With their start in the early ‘90s, Blink-182 is continuing to make addicting music to this day.
Their self-titled album, Blink-182, is 21 years old. This is still their most popular album after two decades. With its harsh guitar and heavy drums, this album stunned everyone.
“I Miss You” became a fan favorite pretty quickly, becoming a number one hit in April of 2004. The build up from the intro to the chorus is amazing, leaving listeners nodding their heads to the drums. This song also includes the very well known verse, “Where are you?/And I’m so sorry/I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight.” I believe this line specifically became popular because of DeLonge’s pronunciation. This verse has the sort of stereotypical emo tone, stretching out the words and almost putting a different accent on them. It works really well with the music and the lyrics, definitely becoming a favorite to many.
It’s hard to pick a favorite song off the album, but mine is probably “Always.” I adore Barker’s drumming in it. From beginning to end, I’m mesmerized by the sound. I found it so satisfying to hear the first time I listened to it. The chorus is upbeat and dancy which I love. I constantly find myself tapping my foot when listening to this track. Hoppus and Delonge have incredible vocals in general, but I feel like they were especially good in this song. Their words were sung with a nice clear tone, while still grasping onto that same emo sound. It’s definitely an all time favorite.
Since 2003, when the self-titled album was released, they’ve released four more albums, including their most recent one, ONE MORE TIME… which came out in October. As you can imagine, 20 years leaves a lot of time for a change in their music. I feel like as they progressed through their albums, they lost the emo tone that caught the attention of listeners in the first place, like each song slowly started sounding the same.
I’ll be honest, ONE MORE TIME… is not one of my favorite albums by Blink. It has some good songs, but I feel like something is missing.
With this album, I felt it lacked the classic Blink-182 feeling. It felt slower and less enjoyable to listen to. I felt myself becoming bored as I went through the album for the first time. Of course, as time passes, artists are destined to change style and make music that sounds different to their other pieces. It was just a little bit disappointing to not get the same excited feeling I get from the other albums.
One of the tracks I actually really do enjoy is “BAD NEWS.” The drumming is so harsh which gives a really cool sound. The guitar is also super well done, sounding so smooth and clean. The vocals are also unsurprisingly incredible. The heartbroken and almost disappointed emotion that’s conveyed is perfectly done. The mix of their clear words along with the booming tone is admirable. I have nothing bad to say about this song specifically.
Even though I’ve complained a lot about this last album, I do still enjoy it. Blink-182 is one of my all time favorite bands, and hearing new music from them after a four-year break was nice. I’d just rather listen to their older albums instead.
