Blink-182 is a pop-punk band from California. Blink has been on the scene since 1992, and they still make new music and are still going on tours today. Blink-182 consists of just three guys: guitarist Tom DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker. One interesting fact about Blink is that since they are a trio, both Mark and Tom sing for the band, with the pair splitting the amount of songs that they sing per album (sometimes even trading off mid song). How does a band like this stay relevant and active after all this time?
Blink-182 has definitely gone through some hard times over the years, with drama in the band and some lineup changes. For example, world-famous drummer Travis Barker only joined the band in 1999, one the album “Enema of the State”. Before that, Blink released two albums with original drummer Scott Raynor. Another very important lineup change that the band went through was when Tom DeLonge left the group in 2003. After this sudden breakup, the members all spun off side projects and released solo work. In 2016, Blink-182 reformed, this time however with Matt Skiba as the guitarist/other vocalist. Blink released two albums, one in 2016 the other in 2019, with Skiba before Tom DeLonge rejoined the band in 2022. Since Tom has rejoined the band, they have just released an album last month called “One More Time”. Along with the new album, Blink is also going on a tour for the album’s release.
My personal favorite Blink albums are easily “Enema of the State” and “Take off Your Pants and Jacket”. Songs like “Mutt”, “Going Away To College”, “First Date”, and “The Rock Show” all carry these albums although theres really no bad song on these albums. After listening to the newly released album “One More Time”, I’ve gotta say that it is definitely not their best work. Why do they sound so different? While it is cool to hear the classic lineup of the band again, this album just doesn’t capture the magic of their older stuff. The new sound sounds way more over-produced and artificial as opposed to their older albums. Also, Tom’s voice is definitely not the same as it was back in the day. With that being said, one thing that I loved in the album was Barker’s drumming. Travis Barker has not fallen off at all and he still is crushing it on the drums. Barker has been featuring on many pop and pop-punk songs for a while so he hasn’t missed a beat.