Blink-182’s California marked a major turning point for the band as it was their first album without founding guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, who departed in 2015 to focus on other projects amidst a strained relationship with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker. In his place they added Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio, whose addition added a fresh dynamic to the band’s signature sound. It’s easy to forget now off the heels of the massive success of One More Time... but by the time the mid 2010’s rolled around Blink was in need of a bit of a shakeup. Skiba’s addition gave them a bit of the edge that was missing and marked a return to their roots of making really fun music to listen to that they were known for during their heyday, which was further buoyed by the production of John Feldmann (Goldfinger) that gave the album a polished pop-punk aesthetic filled with candy-coated hooks. The output during these recording sessions were quite remarkable as well– Feldmann pushed the band to write multiple songs per day, resulting in a massive output of over 30 tracks (many of which ended up on the cutting room floor).
In the pantheon of Blink-182 albums (and what an impressive pantheon it is) California honestly stands up as one of my favorites. It’s impossible to beat the nostalgic kaleidoscope of Dude Ranch or the sheer historical significance of Enema of the State which built the genre of pop punk into a commercial powerhouse, but even when compared to the triumphant return of the original trio we were blessed with on One More Time…, I have to put California in that 3 spot on all-time favorite Blink albums to listen to. It may be sacrilegious but the truth is that no Blink-182 record since the 90’s has felt so lively and well-put together. From the sunshiny chorus of “She’s Out of Her Mind”, the Alkaline Trio influenced darkness of “Los Angeles”, the hilariously on the nose “Built This Pool” (Blink’s best joke song), and the wonderfully sentimental and lovely “Home Is Such A Lonely Place” (which always makes me think of my wonderful wife and the week after we moved into our brand new home in 2016), every song on this album serves a purpose and feels like in its perfect place.
Standout Songs: “Cynical”, “She’s Out Of Her Mind”, “Los Angeles”, “Sober”, “Built This Pool”, “Home Is Such A Lonely Place”, “Kings of the Weekend”, “Rabbit Hole”
