Yesterday Blink-182 released One More Time…, their first album with Tom Delonge since 2011’s Neighborhoods, closing a 12-year hiatus that saw the band go through a rather tumultuous breakup that roiled through the music industry. The personal challenges between Delonge and bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker have been well chronicled, but effectively the three were on non-speaking terms for a period of many years after Delonge left the band under contentious circumstances. Blink soldiered on without Delonge, replacing him with Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio and releasing a pair of solid albums (California is really quite great in fact), but frankly there was no way Blink-182 would ever really feel the same without the triumvirate intact. It always felt like Skiba was keeping the seat warm until Delonge was ready to rejoin the band.
Things changed when Mark Hoppus was diagnosed with cancer in 2021. That diagnosis led to Delonge and Hoppus reconciling in a shared appreciation of fragile mortality we all have, and recognizing that making music together was one of the most important things they could do together not knowing what the future would hold. It’s a sentiment I think everyone who hits their mid-30’s can appreciate– that feeling of growing older, being a little less invincible, the wisdom of experience showing us what truly matters in life. It’s learning the lesson that the good times can last but only if we put in the requisite effort to make them last, a recognition that things which once came easy now require work and sacrifice to truly flourish.
As it turns out, Blink-182 was finally ready to put in that work. And we’re all better off for it, because One More Time… is a really good Blink record that doesn’t just retread what made them so damn compelling in the early aughts. It’s a record that expands on their sound and brings in new elements influenced by Delonge’s work with Angels & Airwaves, Hoppus’ experience with mortality, and Barker’s prodigious producing capabilities he honed over the past fifteen years. They may not have the late, great Jerry Finn anymore, but Barker (who produced this entire album) is a worthy figure sitting in the producer’s chair that gives the album an even more personal touch with him at the helm.
That personal touch is everywhere on this record. There’s a ton of little moments throughout One More Time… that pay homage to decades gone by– whether it’s the “I miss you” vocal melody in “One More Time” which is a clear reference to “I Miss You” off 2003’s Untitled, the syncopated lead guitar line at the end of “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got” that harkens back to “First Date” from 2001’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, or the glistening synth that closes “Blink Wave” which evokes wonderfully nostalgic memories of the culmination “Adam’s Song” right before “All The Small Things” kicks off on 1999’s Enema of the State, the fan service here is purposeful and tasteful. Many bands could trot something like this out and it could end up feeling cheap, but Blink’s enduring charm is their ability to make something old feel brand new again. The music video for “One More Time” is enough to bring you to tears (IYKYK, for real).
As we mentioned in our write up of Enema of the State, Mark, Tom, and Travis were burned into my generation’s collective consciousness during our formative years– they were the voice that defined what middle school and high school felt like, and helped us all navigate those emotionally complex times. One More Time… is the band’s love letter to that generation of fans who grew up with three wild kids from Southern California, an incredibly fun ride that feels fresh and new and worthy of the lofty expectations that was placed on it the moment it was announced.
But perhaps most importantly, One More Time… is a reminder that great things are built to last if you’re ready to put the extraneous aside and focus on what truly matters most.
Standout Songs: “One More Time”, “Dance With Me”, “Bad News”, “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got”
