Travis Barker, left, Mark Hoppus, and Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 perform at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Sunday, April 24, in Indio, Calif.
The popular pop-punk band Blink-182 recently released a new album called “One More Time…” on Oct 20. Not only does this album feature Tom DeLonge, who rejoined Blink-182 in 2022 after leaving in 2005 and again in 2015, but I think this album truly represents them as a band. If I am being honest, “One More Time…” is now one of my favorite albums by them. My all-time favorite album by Blink-182 is their self-titled album.
The album starts off with “Anthem Part 3,” which is a continuation of “Anthem” on “Enema of the State,” released in 1999, and “Anthem, Pt. 2,” on “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket,” released in 2001. I adore that they continued with the pattern, and all of these songs are wonderful. I feel like the three songs almost tell some sort of story, almost as if they are related to how Blink-182 built their way up into the music scene, and what was going on during those times.
“Anthem” describes a story of growing up and wanting to do dumb things, like sneaking out to go to parties. “Anthem, Pt. 2” describes the idea of growing up and realizing how messed up the world is. Finally, “Anthem Part 3” explains that you are grown up now, and as many good things will happen to you as bad things. The three songs create a timeline for how you slowly start to realize what life is really like.
“Anthem Part 3,” along with the other songs on the album, seems to bring back the nostalgia of the early years of Blink-182. The impact this album has on the older Blink-182 fans is much greater than the impact the album has on me. I have been a fan of Blink-182 since middle school, but I know I will never experience the ‘90s and early 2000s era of Blink-182, which makes me a little upset. The good thing is, “One More Time…” seems to bring that Blink-182 era back for younger fans to experience. Not only is it nostalgic for the older fans, but younger fans get to experience it as well.
Over the summer, I saw Blink-182 headline at Adjacent Festival in Atlantic City, New Jersey. That was my first time seeing them. I wanted to see them many times before, but unfortunately never managed to get tickets. I give that concert a 10/10, and I’m so glad the first time I saw Blink-182 was with Tom DeLonge. The way the band members interact with the crowd and the way they set their shows up is absolutely incredible. Their setlist was fantastic at the show I went to, and I may or may not have gotten emotional during some of the songs — as many people during concerts do.
If you are a fan of Blink-182, you know the song “Feeling This.” “Feeling This” is my all-time favorite song by the band and it made me emotional hearing it live for the first time. It might sound silly to get emotional to “Feeling This,” but that song always makes me happy every time I listen to it. The bridge and ending chorus really hit you when performed live, and some fans around me felt the same way I did when hearing it.
Although Blink-182 has some silly songs, songs like “Dammit,” “Ghost on the Dance Floor” and “Stay Together For the Kids” — which they also played live — made a lot of the fans, including me, emotional. They recently just announced a tour with Pierce The Veil, another band I love, so I am hoping to get tickets for one of those shows. I have a feeling this tour they announced will have a lot of their newer songs on the setlist, which I am super excited for.
I decided to rank the new album. My ranking goes as follows, but it is subject to change:
It was very hard to rank this album. I genuinely really enjoyed every song. Although some songs are super short, like the last three I ranked, it was expected for a new Blink-182 album. Blink-182 tends to have random and funny songs on some albums — they are just that type of band. My top ranked songs were chosen for their lyrics and instrumentals. They all tell a story, especially “Fell In Love,” “Dance With Me” and “Blink Wave,” which are love songs. Some are also relatable, especially “Terrified,” which describes the fear of death and the afterlife. All of the songs are amazing and interesting in their own way, whether that is the story they tell or just the fact that the song is funny. Blink-182 knows how to attract their fans through their music, no matter what album it is.
“Fell In Love” is my favorite because of the story it tells. Not only does it tell a sweet love story, but it is also super catchy. The song tells the story of meeting someone at a party and wanting to be with them forever. “Fell In Love” also reminds me of my all time favorite Blink-182 song, as mentioned earlier, “Feeling This,” off of their self-titled 2003 album.
Both songs are a similar type of catchy, and both are love songs. They both tell that story of finding someone you can be your true self around, that person you truly connect with. These songs remind me of finding a first love. I know many people say there is always a “first love” in your life, but what if that first real love comes later as well? Yes, you may have dated other people in the past, but were they really a true love? What these songs seem to explain for me is that even though you may have dated people in the past, there will always be that one person who you know you want to be with for the rest of your life.
“Feeling This” describes the feeling of finding that person you want to be with, but the relationship unfortunately ends. Although the song does not really explain why the relationship ended, I interpret it as the two people will find each other again. The entire bridge of the song explains how the guy still wants to be in the relationship because he is thinking about the girl non-stop. When it comes to “Fell In Love,” it more so illustrates the idea of finding someone at random and then staying with that person. I feel like the two songs could be connected in ways, but I might be going too far with that. I enjoy connecting songs that seem like they can make a story, and these two songs do so for me atleast.
Blink-182 is very influential for both younger and older generations. They always find ways to connect their albums and songs, and it is very fun to piece it all together. Blink-182 is one of the best, if not the best, pop-punk band ever. There are so many amazing pop-punk bands in the music scene, but Blink-182 really set pop-punk up. From their storytelling songs to their funny songs, Blink-182 always finds ways to connect with their fans no matter what song or album they are listening to.
Irene loves Blink-182 with all her heart and you should too. Reach out to her if you disagree or want to share your love for Blink-182 as well. Her email is inm24@pitt.edu.
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