Review Summary: After a tumultuous five years, Blink-182 return with a blast from the past.
There’s no doubt that the road to Blink-182’s seventh full length album “California” was arduous. Numerous recording delays, the loss of an original member, and the addition of a new guitarist/singer – this would be a recipe for disaster for any other band. But this is Blink-182.
So how does their latest offering stack up? Well, pretty high actually. While “California” might be a regression in terms of songwriting, it is a huge step forward for a band that struggled so much with their previous album. “Neighborhoods” was a mediocre comeback effort by a band that gave us a near-perfect record with their 2003 self-titled record. So for them to come back with such a middle-of-the-road record felt like a waste of everyone’s time. Mind you, it wasn’t the worst album. It still had some good songs, but it was missing that certain something Blink has always given us: fun.
This is where “California” strikes gold as the band returns to their roots of making fun, catchy, pop-punk songs, with a sense of humor thrown in there. “Neighborhoods” and “Blink-182” were very bummer records, but at least the latter had a sense of positivity in the songs, while the former was just brooding pain for the sake of brooding pain. “California” gives us back the joyful lyricism of the past (weak lyricism mind you, but still joyful). From the start of “Cynical”, there is a certain lightness felt instantly. It feels like the band is happy to be making a record, and it actually SOUNDS like Blink-182. It’s fast; it’s energetic; it’s catchy. “Neighborhoods” sounded like Angels & Airwaves and +44 b-sides, which was the downfall of that record, but this time, even with the addition of Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba and new producer John Feldman, it sounds like a true Blink-182 record.
Songs like “Cynical”, "She's Out of Her Mind", and "The Only Thing That Matters" harken back to the band’s heyday and sound like they could have been on “Enema of the State”. They are instantly stuck in your head, with their driving rhythms, pounding drums, and sing along choruses. We are even greeted with the return of joke songs “Built This Pool” and "Brohemian Rhapsody", and while not as memorable or entertaining as “Happy Holidays, You Bastard” or “F*** A Dog”, it is still nice to hear the band not take themselves so seriously.
Even though “California” spends a lot of time swimming in nostalgia, Blink still manages to push forward into new territory. “Los Angeles” takes on a more dance-rock approach to the band’s usual sound, and though it can be off-putting at first, Travis Barker’s beats are exquisite and really grab your attention. "Home Is Such a Lonely Place" delivers a beautiful acoustic number, something we do not get to hear from Blink a lot. Its arrangement is lush, filled with strings, gentle drum rolls, bright keyboard melodies, and a heartfelt vocal delivery, courtesy of Skiba. It is the definite stand-out on the record.
Speaking of Matt Skiba, he is a welcome addition here, as he adds so much energy to this record. Tom Delonge's departure was much needed, and while Blink purists will brush this record off because "it isn't Blink-182 without him", there's no doubt that Skiba fits in perfectly. Delonge has a unique style when it comes to writing riffs, but Skiba does his best to mimic that when needed while also adding his own style. At no point do you think you are listening to Alkaline Trio, nor do you feel like these are recycled Delonge riffs. Matt Skiba is giving us something new and original to the band, and it works perfectly on this record.
While “California” has many stand out moments, from the emotional chorus of “San Diego”, to the radio-friendly vocal melodies of “Bored To Death”, the album suffers from some issues. Travis Barker’s drumming takes a back seat on this album, and where he is usually the stand out member among Mark Hoppus’ boring bass lines and Tom Delonge’s mediocre guitar playing, this time around, it is just standard drumming you would hear on any pop-punk record from the last five years. However, the biggest issue here is the inclusion of additional songwriters. The album is not only co-written by Feldman, but it includes contributions from Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Martin Johnson (Boys Like Girls), and David Hodges (ex-Evanescence) on six songs. Stump’s “San Diego” and “Sober” are two of the better ones on the record, but Johnson’s “California” and Hodge’s “Teenage Satellite” are examples of Blink not sounding like Blink, and they are very weak in comparison to the rest of the album. Also, depending on your outlook, Feldman's contributions to the record may or may not hinder it. John Feldman has drifted a long way from his punk rock days, and his overly polished and pop-radio production is all over "California", which can be a big turn-off to some. It works on some songs here, but then becomes quite overbearing on others (see: Los Angeles).
Overall, “California” is the album Blink-182 fans have been waiting for, and it was definitely worth the wait. The songs are catchy, it has a positive vibe, and it’s the most fun record they have put out in years, including records released by +44, Alkaline Trio, etc. It is a perfect summer record, and a definite contender for their best record.
Recommended Songs:
"She's Out of Her Mind"
"Home Is Such a Lonely Place"
"San Diego"
