blink-182 “ONE MORE TIME…” Album Review

ONE MORE TIME…

blink-182

• Genre: Rock
• Date: 20 Oct, 2023
• Content: explicit
• Track(s): 17
• ℗ 2023 Viking Wizard Eyes, LLC, under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment

At one point, it appeared impossible that Blink-182 would release a new album with their most recognizable lineup. “Neighborhoods,” the band’s last album with singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge, was released in 2011, and Matt Skiba joined for the band’s subsequent two records. Despite being more than adequate, he wasn’t the same. Their new album, “ONE MORE TIME…” tells the story of adulthood and musical development.

The album deftly blends sincere pop-punk songs with Blink-182’s trademark cheeky immaturity. The fact that DeLonge’s nasally delivery will be back is important since it is such a crucial component of the band’s sound on its own and because the vocal harmonies between DeLonge and Hoppus may be the best in the genre.

Over the years, bassist Mark Hoppus received a cancer diagnosis, while drummer Travis Barker survived a plane tragedy. Near-tragic events can lead to fresh perspectives, which Blink-182 discuss in the album.

Album Cover Art

The monochrome album cover features the three members of the rock band positioned next to each other for a casual shot.

Tracks and Features

They demonstrate what this version of blink-182 is all about on the album’s opening track, ANTHEM PART 3 (the follow-up to 2001’s Anthem Part Two, which in turn followed 1999’s Anthem). The group sound fired-up as they tackle themes of dreams, death, and beating the odds. They burst into life with shimmering guitars and pounding punk drumming. And when Tom says emphatically, “I won’t fail,” you can bet your bottom dollar that you believe him.

With DeLonge and Hoppus tossing lines back and forth in the pre-chorus before the song explodes into an instantly singable chorus, “Dance With Me” is pure pop-punk through and through. The catchy “Fell In Love,” which has cheerful bounce and rhythmic handclaps that lean toward the pop side of the pop punk seesaw, showcases Blink’s sound development.

The majority of the 17 songs on the album fall between two and three minutes in length. Ironically, the riff-heavy “Terrified” wouldn’t sound out of place on the band’s California record without DeLonge. The passionate song “More Than You Know” has a melodious but aggressive chorus and is uncompromising in its drive.

A recognizable Blink-182 sound returns with the 23-second-long “Turn This Off”: a quick-hitting punch that delivers full-on punk music with a witty lyrical jab. On “You Talk Too Much (Shut Up),” a similar attack can be heard, but the 83-second interlude “Hurt” shakes things up with an atmospheric and soaring alt-rock sound.

The nostalgic song “When We Were Young” evokes memories of the band’s disobedient youth. It is almost probably named after the pop-punk festival, which included Blink-182 and Green Day as its headliners this year. The band’s punk single “Edging” connects its past and present. It’s oddly one of the less strong songs on “ONE MORE TIME…,” but that’s only because the other tales are so much more interesting.

On the mid-tempo song “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got,” which combines acoustic atmospherics with a challenging drum rhythm by Barker, Hoppus more directly addresses his cancer diagnosis. The dynamic song “Bad News,” which features shifting tempos, will appeal to fans of Blink’s early sounds. Even the slower songs, like the ferocious “Turpentine” and dreamy “Childhood,” are propelled forward by an urgent energy.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	TIME
1	ANTHEM PART 3	3:33
2	DANCE WITH ME	3:08
3	FELL IN LOVE	2:18
4	TERRIFIED	2:48
5	ONE MORE TIME	3:28
6	MORE THAN YOU KNOW	3:37
7	TURN THIS OFF!	0:23
8	WHEN WE WERE YOUNG	2:40
9	EDGING	2:29
10	YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT	3:18
11	BLINK WAVE	3:08
12	BAD NEWS	2:19
13	HURT (INTERLUDE)	1:21
14	TURPENTINE	3:05
15	FUCK FACE	0:27
16	OTHER SIDE	2:10
17	CHILDHOOD	4:17

Album Theme

Many of “ONE MORE TIME…”‘s songs center on the members’ individual history, including near-death encounters, brotherhood, the group’s relatively diverse musical tastes, and most importantly, thankfulness. Although they are still occasionally vulgar and incredibly silly, sincerity is what the record is really about. Although the album’s name could imply that this is Blink-182’s farewell song, it’s actually more of a method for them to start afresh.

Production Credits

Travis Barker produced the album.

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