The Still Loved Blink-182: Delivering the Album “One More Time…” to You
Marek Helebrant
Blink 182, the iconic punk band formed in the early 90s in California is back after some time off and it’s a blast.
Image: Blink-182: “One More Time…,” Stereogum.com
You may have already heard some of their biggest anthems such as All the Small Things, What's My Age Again or Miss You. The trio Tom Delonge, Markus Hoppus and Travis Barker are a legend each in the industry and their band is definitely one of the pop punk originals sliding next to names like Green Day, The Offspring or Sum 41.
After some years of rest and personal issues they got back together in the original line up and began touring again. The trio also visited Prague, leaving a high rated show with the atmosphere on top. Not long after their return, Blink 182 released a new song, Edging, and also announced a new album. The fans automatically had high expectations and their shows also had sky-high reviews. Blink 182 are back and better than ever.
On October 20th they released their ninth album and named it One More Time, probably indicating something that fans don’t want to think of. The record instantly got amazing reviews and the fans weren't disappointed at all. All songs have the characteristics of the band starting with Travis’ drumming. Travis Barker is hands down the best current drummer, at least by fan choice. He has the quickest fill ins out there and still makes it sound unique and clear. It is a regular thing that after each show he posts a photo of his bloody palms and fingers, making it clear how hard he’s hitting his parts.
Image: own collage, author: Marek Helebrant
Markus Hoppus is a talented bass player with a well sounding bass and a mind to make up all his beautiful lines. He isn’t really a fast player, but always makes it sound really melodic and the bass is always heard in each song. Regarding the frontman Tom Delonge, who plays the guitar and takes care of most of the vocals. He really isn’t that good in both of his jobs. Isn’t that good of a guitar player, but makes it sound good with loads of distortion effect and his singing isn’t at top form either, but his lyrics are really catchy and has an adolescent chemistry with his two band mates and that is what attracts the fans to listen more.
From the sound perspective, the album is beautifully mixed. And the songs aren’t that bad either. Of course every song isn’t a hit, but they manage to keep your attention from start to finish. Some songs that stood out to me are Edging, Blink Wave, Turpentine, You Don’t Know What You’ve Got. These songs are catchy mostly because of the chorus, and to be fair, that’s what Blink know how to do the best.
One More Time is a great album that hasn’t disappointed at all, in fact it confirmed that the Blink trio is still capable of producing great music in their pop punk genre area. All songs are catchy and you will probably want to listen to them again. Let’s just hope that this isn’t the last time.
Trewn, P. “Premature evaluation: Blink-182 One More Time…” Stereogum.com, https://www.stereogum.com/2239895/premature-evaluation-blink-182-one-more-time/reviews/premature-evaluation/