Album Review: Blink-182 ‘California’

I’ve been a very big fan of blink-182 for coming up to eight years now. Like many other teenagers in the late-00s, they were a bit of a gateway for me to get into other artists. I, like many blink fans, was keen to hear ‘California’ not only because it’s the first full length the band have released since 2011’s ‘Neighborhoods’, but also because it’s the first album they’ve made without founding member and vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge. I was interested (and admittedly, slightly apprehensive) to see if his replacement, Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba, is a good fit.

The opening track Cynical, starts off slow, with vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus taking lead vocals. The opening line for the album seems to address the issues Hoppus would have felt upon having to continue the band without DeLonge, “there’s a cynical feeling saying I should give up/you’ve said everything you’ll ever say”. Matt Skiba’s voice makes its first appearance in the chorus and it’s honestly a really nice addition. Its got some of the nasal qualities of ex-vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge, but sounds more organic, raw, and less processed than DeLonge’s voice has sounded in recent years.

Bored To Death is very reminiscent of ‘Neighborhoods’, with a little bit of a +44 feel thrown in. Drummer Travis Barker makes his presence known with a short solo at the end of the track. The lyrics on this track continue the theme of self-reflection and raw honesty that continues throughout the entire album, “so let me buy you a drink and we’ll pretend that you think/that I’m the man of your dreams come to life in a dive bar”.

“Los Angeles seems like a very dramatic, aggressive song – kind of like the soundtrack of a post-apocalyptic movie.”

She’s Out Of Her Mind is instrumentally very similar to songs found on ‘Enema Of The State’. The guitar riff feels like a bit of a nod to Mutt, and DeLonge’s guitar playing in general. This song is also great for the Mark Hoppus “she said” drinking game – listen to the blink discography and take a shot every time he sings the words “she said” (except don’t because you WILL die).

It was at this point I realised Hoppus was singing more, which is nice because I remember reading that he felt kind of self-conscious of his voice around the time ‘Dogs Eating Dogs’ was released in 2012, and thus didn’t sing a lot on the record. Honestly, his voice sounds great on ‘California’, probably the best it’s sounded since +44’s ‘When Your Heart Stops Beating’ 10 years ago.

Los Angeles seems like a very dramatic, aggressive song…kind of like the soundtrack of a post-apocalyptic movie. There’s a nice little piano break in there, an organ, and both vocalists make an appearance. The vocals have added effects, and the song sounds very pop-rock at times, complete with builds similar to dance tracks.

No Future starts off with a very pop punk and signature blink-182 riff which could fit alongside something on ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’. The chorus is honestly catchy and fantastic, and on my initial few listens it was probably my favourite part of the album. The bridge sung by Skiba on this song is very DeLonge in its’ vocal delivery. In my opinion, this was a great choice for a single!

Home Is Such A Lonely Place is very un-blink sounding, but I still enjoyed it as a song. Hoppus’ vocals and Barker’s drumming style are the only elements I heard that sounded like blink-182. The song reminded me more of bands like Imagine Dragons rather than punk artists. It even has orchestral strings, which I don’t recall blink ever using in the past!

Kings Of The Weekend sounds like a cross between ‘Neighborhoods’ and ‘Enema Of The State’. This wasn’t a super standout song to me. I feel like the middle of the album kind of fades off a bit in terms of enjoyability. The next song Teenage Satellites I also found to be pretty average sounding. These songs were more what I was expecting the entire album to be like, and I’m very glad I was wrong.

The guitar effects on Left Alone are very post-hiatus Tom DeLonge. The song itself is heavier, reminiscent of Skiba’s influence and work with Alkaline Trio. Rabbit Hole sees the return of punk drumming to the album. I feel like it maybe wasn’t the strongest choice for second single from the album, as in my opinion there were much stronger songs that could have been picked instead.

“With ‘California’, blink-182 have been able to give a nod to their roots, while also displaying just what they’ve capable of now.”

San Diego is where the record gets back on track. It signals the return of the DeLonge-style guitar riffs written around the first and fifth note. I feel like as nice as this is in paying homage to DeLonge, Skiba relies on it a bit much on this album. He’s a very capable guitarist (as his work in Alkaline Trio has shown), but he’s trying too much to fill DeLonge’s shoes at times, rather than carving his own path.

Only Thing That Matters is very ‘Enema Of The State’ sounding, or maybe a little bit like ‘Dude Ranch’ even (but with better production). It has call-and-response vocals reminiscent of Pathetic, and at just under two minutes long is probably the most ‘punk’ sounding song blink have made in 15 years. Title-track California is a calm, slower track that builds in intensity as it goes along. It’s a stark contrast to the song before it, and a showcase of blink displaying the different styles they’re able to write in on the album.

I realised halfway through my first listen of ‘California’ that I was kind of disappointed. Part of me didn’t want to be enjoying the addition of Matt Skiba as much as I was. Part of me still seemed to have this weird loyalty to DeLonge, where I couldn’t accept that his replacement could possibly be better. But, (and part of me really hates to admit this) he is better. He has better control of his voice than DeLonge has had since blink’s return from hiatus.

All in all this is a great record. Keep in mind I might have a bit (read: more than a bit) of bias towards this band, but as someone who found herself not too pleased with ‘Neighborhoods’ and ‘Dogs Eating Dogs’, I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this album. With ‘California’, blink-182 have been able to give a nod to their roots, while also displaying just what they’ve capable of now.