The pop-punk veterans and kings, Blink-182, have returned with their most anticipated and awaited record to date with ‘One More Time…’. This record marks their first record back with founding member Tom DeLonge since 2011’s ‘Neighborhoods’. The long awaited comeback of the three amigos in the form of an album has been so eagerly awaited by me especially, a fan since I was 7 years old. And let me tell you, this record gives me and the rest of Blink fans everything they’ve wanted to hear. They’ve managed to recapture the old Blink energy that felt absent for the most part off of ‘Neighborhoods’. It’s them coming back as brothers the right way, for us and it brings a tear to my eye.
The record opens with “Anthem Part 3” and it’s the best way they could’ve opened this record. The intro alone shows that they care and want to bring it home the right way with a pop-punk banger, and it earning the title of part three. It’s a perfect reminder that they’ve always been the blueprint for a lot of bands in the genre these days, and they’ve proven it once again here. It’s packed with an awesome chorus, a great bridge delivered by Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker absolutely smashing it on the drums. It’s an easy highlight off this record and I’m glad we have it. I can totally see this one being the opening song to their sets for years to follow. We’re followed up with Tom talking about masturbation into “Dance with Me”, the fourth single off this record. This one’s pretty catchy overall, and it’s so impressive how Tom goes into what feels like an older vocal style throughout this track. The chorus, for as simple as it is, is effective with getting stuck in your head with those melodies. I can definitely see this song going over well with fans in general, but live also. The last chorus changing it up is really a nice touch as well, it’s another highlight for me. The next song starting with clapping you’ve heard in plenty of songs in this kind of music, with “Fell In Love”. I gotta admit even though this song feels generic overall for Blink, I still like it for it’s catchiness but it still feels like a lower point for this album (especially after following two bangers). I figured it would feel better in context of the album, and it does a little but not to where I was hoping. The na na na’s do feel tired at this point, for them especially. But I do appreciate how many songs on here Tom and Mark share together in general, it feels so good hearing them back again. We’re then followed by a surprise for me on this album, with “Terrified”. It gives instant Box Car Racer vibes right off the bat, which I will always welcome in any form. That opening riff is wild and the clean guitar backing up Tom during the verses is another nice touch. This definitely feels like Blink experimenting when it comes to this album and I’m totally here for it.
We slow things down with second single and the title track, “One More Time”. This song is something we truly needed from this band, down to the lyrics delivered so beautifully and the music video going through the band’s history. I didn’t know Blink could still write a song like this, shouting out lyrics like “It shouldn’t take a sickness or airplanes falling out the sky” or “Do I have to die to hear you miss me?”. The fact they interweaved their specific history into a song like this but still have it be relatable is crazy to me, they did that for us. And to cap off the song with Travis singing on a Blink song finally, truly insane. The three of them all singing “I miss you” at the end feels poetic in a way. It’s most definitely another highlight from the album, lyrically especially. We’re followed up with the third single off this record, with “More Than You Know”. All I could think throughout this song was this has Dogs Eating Dogs vibes all over, from the piano intro to the chorus that matches it. It going into full band at the start was so awesome, and Tom’s yells before the chorus reminds me of 2003’s “Feeling This” too. The chorus could be a tad better, but it’s a small gripe with a solid song. And the bridge is also sick, Tom and Mark’s vocals layering over each other gives off total Self Titled vibes. We’re straight into a short but sweet (not really sweet) one with “Turn This Off!”. All I can say is I appreciate how it gives off “Happy Holidays, You Bastard” vibes with it’s ‘i don’t give a fuck’ lyrics and it coming and going so fast, very on brand for Blink. It’s followed up with one of the catchier songs off this record, with “When We Were Young”. It’s wild how nostalgic this song made me feel for the band in general, like this one hit that sweet spot. The drums shine pretty well here delivered by Travis, I feel like he’s gotten back into the drummer we grew up with for this record. And the chorus is certainly one of the more memorable given off this record. Like it has vibes of Blink mixing it’s style with Angels & Airwaves, but in a way that feels natural. I don’t doubt they’re gonna play this at THAT festival. We jump to the first single off this record and the band’s first song with Tom in over a decade, with “Edging”. This one is another lower point off this record, since it’s an example of the band giving us a so-so song and we could’ve gone with another track for their comeback with Tom. I will say there’s still a charm to it with Tom and Mark trading off lines since we hadn’t heard that in a long time. But it’s delivered way better in the other tracks on this album especially.
We reach the second half of the album, starting with the sixth single, “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got”. This one struck me as having +44 vibes throughout, as Mark felt center stage for this one especially during the bridge. It’s a mix of those vibes and the Skiba-era Blink, but in the best way possible. The chorus feels pretty simple lyrically, but it’s effective in it’s delivery by Tom. The drumming is also some of the best on this record, Travis really found himself again on this record it feels like. We’re then followed by what’s probably the most experimental song on this record, titled “Blink Wave”. It’s them experimenting with a more synth wave kind of sound, and I honestly kinda dig it. The chorus is catchy and the song feels fun overall for a love song. The pre-chorus also feels like a slight callback to 1999’s “Aliens Exist” with the lyrics “You are so inordinary, seems so scary to be buried”. It might not be, but that’s what I took it as. I’m surprised Blink could pull off this kind of sound, and it’s refreshing to have a highlight like this in the middle section of the record. We continue on with a straight banger, with “Bad News”. It starts off with one of my favorite pop-punk tropes, an acoustic intro going into a fast tempo song…can never go wrong with that. Mark is going all out with this one, from the huge chorus to it’s fast-paced verses. Having pretty bummer lyrics over a fast pop-punk song is always something I’ll be a sucker for as well. This is another easy highlight as we reach the final stretch of the record. We again slow things down with an interlude titled “Hurt”. All I can really say about this one is it’s one of the only times on this record where we get Angels & Airwaves vibes, from Tom singing to the whole space rock vibe of it all. I’m glad they didn’t overdo it with having the side projects take too much from this record. It instead feels like we’re traveling through different eras of Blink and the different eras for Tom, Mark, and Travis altogether.
We’re on the final stretch of the record with what’s definitely a highlight off this record, with “Turpentine”. This one for some reason feels like the “Reckless Abandon” of this album, there’s just something about it that gives off that vibe. It could be Tom being as silly lyrically in some spots, but it’s definitely memorable. The fact that this track has a lyric like “What if my heart won’t recover?” and also “Stick your dick in Ovaltine, snort a bag of Dramamine” in the same song is so wild to me…but it works somehow. This song feels simultaneously personal and serious, as it does off the fucking wall with it’s lyrics. I wanna shoutout how clear the guitar comes through on this song as well, especially in the chorus loud and clear. Mark‘s part during the bridge also adds nicely to this track, and this song is just a great example of how Blink should sound in 2023. The “turpen-tine” at the end of the song is also fucking hilarious, gotta love Tom. We’re followed up by another short but sweet (and punk) song, with “Fuck Face”. Good to add some straight up punk to this record, even if it’s less than thirty seconds…that’s what punk is. We’ve reached the penultimate track of this album, with “Other Side”. This one definitely has the most ‘California’ vibes off the album, in a great way. Once again, Tom‘s guitar tones show off so nicely here throughout. I’m curious to know who this song is about, since the opening lyrics “they took you away on a Tuesday, a lightning bolt without a cloud in the sky” really paint a picture that it’s about a close friend who’s no longer with us. And the lyrics “it’ll never be the same, stage right. But we’ll always have that coffee life” just stuck with me after hearing the album for some reason. It could be that it’s delivered by Mark wonderfully, with it’s melodies and whatnot. I can definitely see people relating to this song, solely based on it’s lyrics. We’re now at the end of this wonderful journey, as the record closes with “Childhood”. This is definitely an interesting one to close out the album, I feel this one has the most ‘Nine’ vibes out of anything else on here. It just feels experimental in it’s instrumentation and structure for some reason, and it’s kinda cool. It may not be one of my favorites on this record, but I definitely appreciate it still…especially the video game 8-bit outro with Travis murdering it on the drums one more time.
I gotta say, ‘One More Time…’ feels like a wonderful comeback album for Blink-182. It definitely feels like their most consistent and enjoyable record since the ‘Self-Titled’ record. I love the fact that so many eras are explored throughout this record, and that it truly feels like them as a unit again…as brothers. I’ve held so much love for this band for most of my life, and it’s such a joy to see the three of them back in their element. Old and new fans should lend this record their ears as there’s ultimately something for everyone who’s loved this band throughout the years.
Check out the video for “Dance with Me” below.
