blink 182 - One More Time…

Album Review

Oct 21

One More Time… is a welcome addition to the blink-182 catalog, offering a healthy scoop of what they do best with a dash of novelty.

This isn't a 180 for 182 - the vast majority of the record sounds like a classic blink-182 album, but this time, maturity prevails, avoiding their previous detours of immature restlessness.

The Japanese concept of Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is a delicate tightrope walk in the world of music.

Stick to your strengths too often; you'll bore your fanbase and fail to entice a new one. Get too creative and alienate those who come to your music for a specific sound or feeling.

Since the early 90s, blink-182 has masterfully and continually improved their sound time and time again, and their latest One More Time... is no exception.

Look no further than day one of blink-182. The opening track 'Carousel,' off their debut 1994 Buddha, instantly gets built upon and expanded on their sophomore album Cheshire Cat. As do several other tracks from Buddha (‘Fentoozler’, ‘Strings’, to name a few) - showcasing a willingness from day one to take ideas they liked and to improve on them, time and time again.

Fast forward 20 years, and the trio is still interested in taking great ideas and lifting them to new heights, again, taking a previous song (‘Anthem’) and transforming it into something larger.

1992, Scott Raynor, Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge

One More Time… showcases the willingness to improve again, and welcomes Tom DeLonge back to the fold after a twelve-year hiatus. Across 17 songs, One More Time… balances the sounds that made blink-182 the undeniable pop-punk kings at the turn of the millennia while not phoning in the same old riffs.

Yes, the lyrical emo playbook is still here - I'm sorry - I miss you - remember when? - unrequited love - everything sucks - etc. etc. etc. -
and yes, the immature jokes about masturbation and your mom are here to stay too.

However, it's always been blink-182's ability to merge teenage-grade humor with heavy-hearted concepts that has separated them from the pack.

Who else could play a song called 'Dysentery Gary' with lyrics "I hate you all, your mom's a whore” and follow it immediately with a song about teen suicide in "Adam's Song."

And that's always been blink-182's motive. Fun at heart, a couple of punk rock teens who are happy to be playing music, that in the end actually have a lot to say. Their signature sound is buoyed by Mark Hoppus' always underrated bass riffs and DeLonge's whiny throwaway California-style vocals - with the addition of Travis Barker's energetic drums just the cherry on top when he joined in 98'.

Already accomplishing infinitely more than they had ever set out to do - all their disagreements and refusal to ever share a stage again - Hoppus' cancer diagnosis - Barker surviving a horrific plane crash, one can surmise there's only reason the trio decided to come back together after all these years - to heal and have fun.

With each member having their own significant 'life is short' moments, One More Time… was born out of a need to scratch the itch of being in a band where you feel alive. That energy is palpable across the record, with nearly all of the tracks being high-tempo sing-along power-punk doses, transporting you back to the 2000 heyday of the trio instantly.

It would be easy to expect this album to be blink-182 on cruise control, repurposing the basic concepts of times past while incorporating lyrics that speak about updated life experiences - but that's not what this is.

The band has always wanted to improve and take their music seriously. Despite a quick masturbation joke after the first song, the energetic album has an overall serious tone, conveying reflection, grief, lost love, the innocence of youth, and appreciating what you have before it's too late.

This isn't a 180 for 182 - as the vast majority of the record sounds like a classic blink-182 album, but this time, maturity prevails, avoiding their previous detours of immature restlessness.

Yes, 17 songs is a bit much, but with only three of them going over three and a half minutes, it never feels long. Songs that stand out as weird outliers when listened to as singles (looking at you 'EDGING') actually work surprisingly well when tucked in the middle of the album.

The hits that took blink-182 to the absolute top had a repeatable thread of tight guitar hooks with an irrefutable relatability in their lyrics. These catchy riffs are absent on One More Time… replaced with a more complete songwriting style. In 2023, blink-182 doesn't need to focus on crafting chart-topping hits anymore and instead choose to pursue the path of art as healing while always keeping its audience in mind.

One More Time… is a welcome addition to the blink-182 catalog, offering a healthy scoop of what they do best with a dash of novelty. Whether you're here for a trip down Nostalgia Lane or are looking for a compact pop-punk helping from the maestro's of the craft - One More Time… delivers. Despite containing no immediate classics, blink-182 reminds everyone how they've successfully carved out a 20 year career. It's good to have them back.