blink-182 - ONE MORE TIME…
by Emmery Clements
For the thirteen-year-olds looking to feel niche and important, blink-182’s latest release ONE MORE TIME… is their claim to fame for the “really unknown band” they “discovered”. For those who have actually connected with the band over the years, it is a collection of memories, a reminiscence of the band’s relationships with each other and their music. Their first album since guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge’s departure from the band in 2015, what seems like a typical blink-182 release on first glance reveals words that are bittersweet, heartfelt, and raw underneath the surface.
DeLonge exited the band to pursue ventures outside of music, including starting the To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science. blink-182 replaced DeLonge with Matt Skiba, who was also the frontman for Alkaline Trio. With Skiba, blink-182 released California in 2016 and NINE in 2019.
The album opens with “ANTHEM PART 3”, an authentic callback to the band’s early work. The song is a continuation of “Anthem” from 1999’s Enema of the State and “Anthem, Pt. 2” from 2001’s Take off Your Pants and Jacket. It feels like a satisfying third element in the series; where "Anthem, Pt. 2” reminded us that “everything has fallen to pieces”, “ANTHEM PART 3” sets a sense of determination, singing “a new high, a new ride / and I’m on fire / my old shit ends here tonight”. The song is the epitome of blink-182 (or at least that’s what I thought until the opening of “DANCE WITH ME”, because what is blink-182 without at least one reference to masturbation?), and it feels like the perfect way to start this album.
blink-182 reminds us of their identity in energetic, comedically honest tracks like “TURN THIS OFF!” and “FUCK FACE”, the two shortest songs on the album. Travis Barker’s drums rage through the tracks, nearly overpowering the rest of the mix. While cracking slightly immature jokes on “EDGING” and “TURPENTINE”, the “punk rock kids” are well and truly back, acting just as they were at the start of their prominence. The magic of their music is the message beyond the jokes, as “TURPENTINE” turns a “ur mom” joke into a commentary on coping mechanisms amongst fears of DeLonge being “a broken man, a Frankenstein”. The band couples raw emotion with class-clown energy, creating engaging tracks that are the best of blink-182 being themselves.
Perhaps the most unique element of this album is the tracks that are startlingly honest and heartfelt, tuning into anxiety the band previously explored through humor. “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT” makes mention to “long weeks of impending doom / stuck in life’s waiting room”, referring to bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus’s 2021 cancer diagnosis. The space between the bridge and the last chorus is like a breath held, waiting for the return of Hoppus and DeLonge together again. Hoppus’s direct dance with mortality weaves through the album, since it was a contributing factor to DeLonge’s return to the band.
“MORE THAN YOU KNOW” and “OTHER SIDE” maintain energy and attention while capturing emotional vulnerability. “MORE THAN YOU KNOW” is a back-and-forth between Hoppus and DeLonge, recognizing the differences between the two. The comparatively quiet intro is met with a high energy burst into the first verse, itself reflected in the contrast between Hoppus’s subdued truth and DeLonge’s intensity.
“OTHER SIDE”, written about Hoppus’s bass tech Robert “Noise” Ortiz who died in May, 2022, is unexpectedly upbeat. The track has a hopeful guitar, if somewhat muted by the drums, and Hoppus’s emotion-driven vocals elevate it into a celebration of Ortiz’s life. It may be melancholy in theory, but in performance it is determined and uplifting as Hoppus sings “I’ll see you again on the other side”.
“TERRIFIED” seems like an impeccable description of dissociation, with panning used to match the chaos of being unable to focus on anything defined as real. DeLonge’s layered vocals mimic anxiety, the guitar in the chorus almost an outburst. The song was initially written for Box Car Racer, Barker and DeLonge’s side project, but DeLonge believed it should be up for blink-182’s instrumental interpretation. The fact that the song was included on ONE MORE TIME… shows both a delightful visit to the past and a meaningful shift in blink-182’s mindset as they prioritize music over fear.
blink-182 reflects honestly on relationships, delving into the heartbreak. “FELL IN LOVE” is a one-sided conversation about the start of a mutually beneficial chaotic love story, somehow maintaining a light-hearted tone with little synth notes. The “nanana” of the chorus even creates a little nostalgia for “All the Small Things”. Both “WHEN WE WERE YOUNG” and “BAD NEWS” refer to a relationship left in the past, neither standing out much in the album
The vulnerability of love and emotion is further explored in “HURT (INTERLUDE)”, as they sing “have you hurt like this before?” The simple one-note intro persists throughout the minute and a half interlude to the album, melding into a vocals-driven track. blink-182 makes purposeful choices with their intros, “SEE YOU” serving as another example. The risers carry the emotional highs and lows of the story of trying to keep a relationship together.
Even “BLINK WAVE”, an upbeat track, describes existential anxiety and the desire to connect with someone they can’t stop thinking about. Unfortunately, singing “seems so scary / to be buried” feels fitting in this song, as the vocals are themselves buried by the intensity of the backing track. The harmonies in the bridge are almost lost in a reverb-driven haze that fuses with the synth. However, while the production is inconsistent throughout the album, the elements included on “CUT ME OFF” make emotions audible. In describing the feeling of being used while singing “I kinda love the way you hate me / you only call me crazy”, the panning of the drums makes your head spin.
Amongst a 19-track album, the songs that stand out the most are those that make direct reference to the band’s history and the reasons they reunited for ONE MORE TIME… The title track “ONE MORE TIME” describes the band’s transition from “strangers into brothers / from brothers into strangers once again”. The song directly references the struggles faced by the band members, saying “it shouldn’t take a sickness / or airplanes falling out of the sky”, speaking to Hoppus’s cancer diagnosis and Barker’s 2008 plane crash. The band explores mortality and the limitations of time, not wanting to “wait to do this one more time”. The acoustic guitar, while a departure from expectations of blink-182 sound, is near reverent in its subtlety. Tolling bells echo through the choruses and outro, capturing a final reminder of fleeting time.
The final track on the album, “CHILDHOOD”, asks “2023 who the fuck are we?” The band reminisces, singing “remember when we were young / we thought we knew everything”. blink-182 has a long history together and, while time may take its toll, they have captured their growth in these tracks. I can only hope ONE MORE TIME… isn’t the last time we hear blink-182 together again.