"All in My Head" / "No Fun" Released:August 23,2024
One More Time...[e] is the ninth studio album by American rock band Blink-182,released on October 20,2023 through Columbia Records. The album marks the return of guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge following his departure from the band in 2015. DeLonge was prompted to return after bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2021. Following a meeting between DeLonge and his former bandmates,the trio overcame lingering disputes,which later led to DeLonge's return.
Recorded over a span of seven months,One More Time... lyrically explores familiar territory like relationships and maturation,as well as lyrics inspired by the band's own history and Hoppus' battle with cancer. Barker handled the production,largely tracked at his Woodland Hills compound in the band's home state California. The album's digital artwork consists of black-and-whiteportraits of the trio while physical editions were printed with the band's signature smiley logo,drawn by famed graffiti artist Eric Haze.
One More Time... became the band's third number-one album on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.,and reached the top five in a dozen other countries. Of its six pre-release singles,both "Edging" and the title track were top hits on the Alternative Airplay charts domestically. The album itself has generated songs with the highest total number of weeks spent at number one on said chart,with thirty-three weeks total. It received largely favorable responses from music critics,with most celebrating the band's back-to-basics approach. Blink-182 have promoted the album with their supporting tour and the top-grossing World Tour.
A deluxe version of the album,titled One More Time... Part-2,was released on September 6,2024.[1]
Background
One More Time... features the return of founding guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge.
Blink-182 gained mainstream success in 1999 with their third album Enema of the State, and continued with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket in 2001 and their self-titled album in 2003.[2][3] During this time,its core members,including guitarist Tom DeLonge,bassist Mark Hoppus,and drummer Travis Barker developed considerable discord between each other,with DeLonge at its center. This led to the band's 2005 breakup,which was announced as an indefinite hiatus to the public.[4] Hoppus and Barker continued to collaborate together in +44,while DeLonge formed Angels &Airwaves and had cut all ties with his former bandmates until 2008,when Barker was involved in a plane crash of which he was one of two survivors.[5] Ultimately,the trio decided they still wanted to make music together,and announced their return the following year.[6]
Following their reunion,the band released Neighborhoods in 2011,and an EP titled Dogs Eating Dogs in 2012.[2] During this time,DeLonge became more invested in non-musical activities,mostly related to his passion for UFOs and conspiracy theories. Ultimately,these activities halted his work with the band,creating more tension between him and his bandmates and led to his second departure from the group in 2015.[7] Rather than breaking up again,Hoppus and Barker decided to enlist Alkaline Trio singer and guitarist Matt Skiba to take DeLonge's place.[8] This iteration of the band proved popular,scoring their second number-one album on the Billboard 200[9] and their first Grammy nomination with their next album,California (2016).[10] This was followed by their eighth studio album Nine in 2019 and extensive touring in support of both releases and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Enema of the State.
Meanwhile,DeLonge began to move further away from his music career as he invested most of his time in his company,To the Stars,and occasionally released new music and toured with Angels &Airwaves. During this time,he began to repair his relationship with Barker,with the two frequently discussing when he could return to the band.[11][12] Hoppus on the other hand still held some grievances against DeLonge,and while Barker would discuss DeLonge's return to the band with him,he was still uncertain. When DeLonge publicly discussed rejoining,it was not uncommon for Hoppus to deny the possibility.[13][14]
As the chances of rejoining the band seemed less likely,DeLonge started to become less interested in his music career,telling his wife that he may never tour again. This changed when he was informed that Hoppus had been diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma in 2021.[12][15] According to Hoppus,DeLonge was one of the most supportive people during his chemotherapy,with the two speaking frequently up until Hoppus was declared cancer-free later that year.[16]
Hoppus' battle with cancer prompted a secret meeting between him,DeLonge,and Barker to reconvene,overcome old disputes,and reconnect as friends.[4] Soon after,the three decided that the time was right for DeLonge to make his return to the band. Skiba was unaware of DeLonge's return until it was publicly announced in 2022,though he had begun to question whether he was still in the band.[17] Despite this,he showed both excitement and gratitude for the trio,and thanked fans for his time in the band. DeLonge reciprocated by privately reaching out to Skiba on social media to thank him for his time with the band.[18][8]
One More Time... was recorded over a period of eightteen months in 2022 and 2023 partly at the band members' respective home studios,and mainly at Barker's studio,The Waiting Room. Barker had purchased this new studio space,in Woodland Hills,California,[19] in 2020,which is where the trio most frequently convened.[20] The complex's white-walled aesthetic led DeLonge and Hoppus to joke it looked like a "punk rock day spa".[19] The band would meet "every other week" for three days at a time for writing sessions and tracking. Afterwards,the members would return to their home studios to further write and complete recording their parts.[21] Much of the early recording was kept secret from the public,as the members wanted to approach DeLonge's return cautiously. Early recording was also stinted by Hoppus' cancer recovery,as chemotherapy had severely damaged both his body and vocal chords.[12] The band first met as Hoppus was completing his final round of chemotherapy. According to Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman,the band initially progressed slowly,as "it took Hoppus a minute to trust their latest reconciliation [...] after years of DeLonge's inconsistency."[19]
One More Time... also marks their first album to be entirely produced by Barker. Prior to the album,Barker had produced a few of the band's previous songs and worked with a few other artists,most notably with Machine Gun Kelly's Tickets to My Downfall (2020).[22] He initially was reticent to broach the subject between the three—"it was a sensitive subject," he confessed in the interview with Kaufman—but simply took control of the process when the rest of the band left for the day,arranging and piecing together songs digitally.[19] All of the guitars were recorded with Fractal's Axe-Fx processor,eliminating the lengthy time needed to solidify guitar tones.[21] Engineer Aaron Rubin used this as a way of mitigating DeLonge's frequent tendency to re-write. Likewise,many of the songs utilize Barker's preset templates and digital plugins he had used at the Waiting Room for other artists.[21] For One More Time..., Barker found himself "taking myself out of being in the band,and being a fan" in a way to help build the songs the way he wanted them to sound. Barker often thought back to their old producer,Jerry Finn,and what he would have done if he were still their producer.[12] In response to a fan question following the album's release,Barker also stated that he would've dedicated the album in memory of Finn.[23]
Songs
"Anthem Part 3" addresses complacency and encourages self-improvement;with its staccato opening and title,it serves as a sequel in its series. "Dance with Me" is set on a dance floor,and features a prominent "oléoléolé" hook.[24] Barker was meticulous in devising what meter to set the song at,and settled on an uptempo groove he felt maximized its danceability.[25] "Fell in Love" interpolates The Cure classic "Close to Me"[26] and recounts a drunken meeting at a party.[27] "Terrified" originated as a demo between DeLonge and Barker before the band reformed;they felt it was an extension of the style they explored on Box Car Racer.[28]
The album addresses bassist Mark Hoppus' battle with cancer.
The acoustic title track softly reflects on the band's history and questions why it requires tragedies to prompt reconciliation.[29] As the song climaxes,the band's three members—Barker included,in a rare vocal spot—sing the song's refrain.[30] "More Than You Know" opens with a despondent piano piece[31] but grows in energy and pace;its unconventional chorus repeats "I don't feel pain,but I feel more than you'd ever know." Barker utilizes a double kick drum—typically used in metal—for the first time on each chorus,which adds to the aggression.[32] "Turn This Off!" is a brief,off-color joke song,while "When We Were Young" salutes growing up. "Edging" is a bright,mid-tempo track[33] that was the first song the band released for the album:"I wanted to imagine as a listener what I wanted to experience and at the same time as a band member what we wanted to make and say,and most importantly how it would sound production-wise in 2022," Barker said.[34]
"You Don't Know What You've Got" directly chronicles Hoppus' battle with cancer.[35] "Blink Wave" embraces new wave keyboards and synthesizers,[36] while "Bad News" is a brisk,bitter missive to a relationship gone sour. "Turpentine" uses unrelated concepts,both comical and serious,to explore emptiness:"What if I'm not like the others? / A broken man,a Frankenstein," DeLonge sings.[37] "Fuck Face" is a tribute to hardcore punk that was initially an unrelated demo Barker recorded for fun with longtime collaborator Tim Armstrong.[38] "Other Side" is a tribute to Robert Ortiz,Hoppus' longtime bass technician,who died in 2021.[39] "Childhood" compares the old and young by asking when a youthful sense of the world goes missing. Its outro infuses chiptune with a drum solo.[40]
Artwork
The album's artwork consists of black-and-white portraits of the three band members on a brick wall. When the album was announced,the artwork was not released with it. Up until a few days before its release,a placeholder cover was used on digital services,with "THIS IS NOT OUR ALBUM COVER" displayed in all caps. Barker came up with the idea,inspired by Japanese clothing brand Number (N)ine.[41] The full cover was not revealed until two days before its release.[42] Physical editions retain the secondary artwork illustrated by designer Eric Haze.[43]
Composition
Tom Walsh of Punktastic described One More Time... as a "genuinely good punk rock record",helping to appeal to more hardcore fans.[44] Maya Georgi of Rolling Stone felt a similar sentiment,stating that the band is "at their best when they are channeling punk-rock energy" on the album.[45] Matt Dunn of Ultimate Guitar said the album "perfectly coincides with the revival of pop punk".[46]
Release
The album's promotional cycle began with the announcement of the band's next world tour,as well as their reunion with DeLonge. News of his return had swirled in fan communities for months,[47] but was officially announced on October 11,2022,alongside the news that a new album was in the works. Later that week,the album's first single,"Edging",was also released,and pre-order sales for vinyl variants of the album also went up,though the LP lacked a title or release date.[48] Due to the nature of DeLonge's return,the LP was considered to be greatly anticipated.[49][50] The band did not conduct a traditional press tour for the album;their hour-length interview with radio host Zane Lowe was intended to be their only statement about the record.[12]
In the lead-up to release,posters emblazoned with the album's title and the band's logo were plastered on walls in major cities across different countries in September 2023,including New York City,Toronto,Chicago,Sydney,Berlin,and more.[51] The group's official site was updated with a "stall" page—a visual of a graffiti-tagged bathroom,with a digital clock icon counting down to the release of the album's second single.[52] On September 18,the album's title was officially announced,as well as its release date.[53] Later that week,the album's title track and "More Than You Know" were released.[54] Three additional singles saw release prior to the album:"Dance with Me","Fell in Love",and "You Don't Know What You've Got".[55][56] After the album's initial bow,the band released a digital-exclusive expanded edition,adding two bonus tracks to the album titled "Cut Me Off" and "See You".[57]
In June 2024,Hoppus announced a deluxe version of the album to be released on September 6,2024.[58] In August 2024,the deluxe release was revealed to be titled One More Time... Part-2,and includes eight additional songs.[59]
Commercial performance
In the U.S.,One More Time... became the band's third chart-topping album on the Billboard 200,debuting at number one the week following its release. Much of its 125,000 equivalent album units were driven by physical sales,with 101,000 copies sold in its first week. Its 11 vinyl variants helped mark the largest sales week for a rock album on vinyl that year,with 49,000 units.[60] As of February 2024,the album has moved 247,000 units domestically.[61] Across the globe,the album was similarly well-received:in the United Kingdom,it debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart,marking the group's sixth top 10 in the country.[62] The album also opened in second place in Australia,[63]Germany,[64] and Switzerland,[65] and debuted within the top five in Belgium,[66]Ireland,[67]Italy,[68]Scotland,[69] and New Zealand.[70] Worldwide,the album achieved 30 million streams in its first week.[71]
The album's singles also proved commercially successful. "Edging" was a long-running number one hit on Billboard'sAlternative Airplay chart,where it topped the charts for 13 weeks,while also becoming their first single on the Hot 100 since 2016's "Bored to Death".[72] "One More Time" ultimately became an even greater success. An airplay juggernaut at Alternative Airplay,it peaked at number one for a record-setting twenty consecutive weeks,tied for the longest reign in the ranking's history. It also marked the first time Blink-182 achieved back-to-back number ones on that chart.[73] As the group entered the Adult Pop Airplay chart for the first time in 18 years,"One More Time" ultimately became the group's first crossover hit since "I Miss You".[74] A fair number of non-singles also proved successful,with "Anthem Part 3" in particular charting on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[75]
The album received mostly positive reviews upon its release. Metacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,scored the album at 71 out of 100,indicating "generally favorable reviews" based on 15 reviews.[87]
Rolling Stone reviewer Maya Georgi gave the album high marks,observing,"As always,Blink-182 are at their best when they are channeling punk-rock energy and wailing tongue-in-cheek couplets against choppy guitars and Barker's driving rhythms."[45] Kate Solomon from The Guardian felt that "despite the nods to mortality,Blink have not lost their knack for crafting thumping choruses,"[81] while Spin's Bobby Olivier felt the "explosive" album delivered:"this reconciliation feels fresh,fun [...] it's still the band's best work in 20 years."[88] Matt Collar from AllMusic praised its lyrical depth,writing,"there's certainly the sense that blink-182 are working through the pain of the past two decades."[78]Consequence columnist Paolo Ragusa considered it "a relatively safe album,all things considered,but for Blink-182,new ground isn't necessary."[89]
In a mixed review,Stereogum's Pranav Trewn said "As an argument for the alchemic properties of this lineup configuration,the band really sounds like they have something to prove [...] but there are dull moments to be sure,enough that in aggregate those flashes of excitement quickly begin to fade from memory."[90]NME reviewer Emma Wilkes found the album "a full circle moment [...] the issue is,however,that it's perhaps lacking in variety."[85] Helen Brown of The Independent dismissed it as "hardly revelatory,"[82] while GQ writer Yang-Yi Goh found the tunes "glossy,efficient,and largely anodyne [...] most of the songs have had their rough edges sanded down too smooth,and feel more aimed at back-to-basics nostalgia than hard-earned progress."[91]Pitchfork's pan of the album found writer Arielle Gordon bemoaning its regressive sound,commenting:"It feels disjointed and bloated,not to mention heavily indebted to the band members’existing discography."[86]
The band is supporting the release with a large headlining tour between 2023 and 2024.[92] A North American leg commenced mid-year,[93] before the album's release,with festival slots at the inaugural Adjacent Festival in New Jersey,[94] and When We Were Young in Nevada.[95] In September,the band embarked on a tour across Europe,with a series of dates in Australia—the band's first in eleven years—commencing in February 2024.[96] Another leg of shows in Latin America,the band's first time playing there,will start in 2024,including headlining slots at Lollapalooza in Chile,Argentina,and Brazil.[97] The band also made a surprise appearance at Coachella 2023,marking DeLonge's first live appearance with the group since his return.[98] The following weekend,singer Frank Ocean was unable to perform during his time slot,so the band made an impromptu second appearance at the festival in his place.[99]
Twice,multiple tour dates have been postponed,both times because of medical concerns involving Barker. The Latin American leg was initially slated for the first half of 2023,but was postponed after he sustained a serious finger injury that required surgery.[100] Later that year,shows in Glasgow,Belfast,and Dublin were postponed after Barker returned to the United States for an emergency surgery for his wife.[101] During a break in the European leg of tour,he also revealed that he later tested positive for COVID-19,although the illness did not affect any dates.[102]
The North American leg of the tour became their best-performing outing yet,grossing over $85 million.[103]
While playing the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas the weekend of the album's release,the band had more cryptic promotion around the festival venue. A bathroom had One More Time... wrapping on the outside walls and a billboard facing the stage and audience read "The album is out. The tour is over. Or is it?" On October 23,the band officially announced the One More Time Tour,an additional leg of dates in North America,which featured stops at various stadiums,including SoFi Stadium in Inglewood,CA,Petco Park in San Diego,and Fenway Park in Boston. The tour also included arenas and amphitheaters,such The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state.[104][independent source needed]
"Fuck Face" is stylized as "F*ck Face" on clean versions of the album, or is given the alternative title "You Talk Too Much (Shut Up) (Interlude)".[105]
Recorded at The Waiting Room (Los Angeles, California) (all tracks), Jupiter Sound (San Diego, California) (1–8, 10–17), Area 69 Studios (San Diego, California) (9), Califa Studios (Los Angeles, California) (9)
Mixed at Periscope Sound (Franklin, Tennessee) (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 14, 16, 19), SLS Studios (London, United Kingdom) (3, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18) and Mixstar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia) (9)
↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 43.Týden 2023 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
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