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As the title suggests, “ONE MORE TIME…” is blink-182’s first full album with all the original members in 12 years. (The band’s last full-length album was 2019’s “Nine,” which did not include lead vocalist Tom DeLounge.) Like every time a band returns to the spotlight, the album can either be a true work of art or an attempt to stay relevant by replicating their old work.

The album, produced by blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, was released last Friday. Last October, the band released its first single, “EDGING,” announcing DeLounge was back in the band.

Following DeLounge’s original departure in 2005, many others came and went in the band, but the group has never had more than three members at a time. Unfortunately for blink-182, their newest album falls short of their iconic sounds from the past with many of the members having different reputations than they did 20 years ago.

Barker, following his 2021 engagement to reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian, has been added to the Kardashian brand. His wedding to Kardashian was sponsored by Dolce and Gabbana, the couple now jointly promotes vegan brand “Daring Foods” and Barker himself has done promotions with Liquid Death. Gone is the angst against authority.

The album starts out with a strong drum solo from Barker in “ANTHEM PART 3,” showing the listener that he’s still got it. Despite his talent, the instrumental tune sounds choppy and out of sync, losing the listener at the very beginning. Although each member of the band is incredibly skilled respectively, they seem to have lost their edge when trying to put it all together.

“ONE MORE TIME,” the album’s titular song, does have a touching sentiment reflective of the band’s struggles. From Barker’s tragic plane crash in 2008 to Mark Hoppus’ cancer diagnosis, the group has persevered to come back together and record another record.

“I miss you, took time, but I admit it, It still hurts even after all these years, And I know that next time ain’t always gonna happen, I gotta say, ‘I love you’ while we’re here,” sing DeLonge and Hoppus, seemingly to each other.

Since its release on Sept. 21 and for the first time, the single “ONE MORE TIME” has been at the top of Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs.

However, much of the album sounds like a group of middle-age men trying to stay relevant by re-doing what they did back in the ‘90s. The issue is, they’re not 24 anymore. The three men are either in their 40s or 50s making music as if they’re coming of age

The difference between modern pop punk revival like Olivia Rodrigo and the revival of older artists like blink-182 is that Rodrigo is a new voice. Although she is reminiscent of Avril Lavigne and other pop punk artists of the early-2000s, she’s young and garners a new generation of support.

Blink-182 fails in trying to gain a new, younger audience, but even loses their older followers by releasing music that falls short of their past hits.

When you listen to “All the Small Things,” from blink-182’s 1999 hit album, “Enema of the State,” you’re transported to a club in the ‘90s. It has angst, it’s fresh and most importantly, it’s genuine.

“DANCE WITH ME” is easily the best song on the album. It’s catchy, the guitar solo is thrilling and the lyrics are fun. While it’s not a deep song, it’s a good one. The chorus is repetitive, but easy to remember and the lyrics are surface level. DeLounge and Hoppus use the song to sing about dancing (most likely a euphemism about having sex) all night and that’s about it.

“Olé, olé, olé, olé, Yeah, we’re doing it all night long” is repeated 12 times throughout the 2:18 minute song. The track’s instrumentals are outstanding with complicated guitar and a strong consistent beat on the drums.

One refreshing aspect of the album is that the songs run in different veins, giving off different vibes and lyrical sentiments. “FELL IN LOVE” is a more lighthearted sounding song with deeper lyrics reminiscing the process of falling in love with a previous partner with melancholy lyrics. The tune is boppy with strong drums and bass guitar in the background.

“I said hello, then I got drunk, Do you remember the time we fell in love? Do you remember the night when you came over? Playin’ songs, layin’ on my shoulder. We made out till the Sun came up. Do you remember the time? Remember the time we fell in love?” blink-182 sings.

When it comes to the instrumentals, blink-182 hits it out of the park. No one can deny that Barker is an amazing drummer, Hoppus is a fantastic guitarist and DeLounge has phenomenal vocals.

“ONE MORE TIME…” is a sweet concept focusing on the community around the original members of blink-182. Unfortunately, this concept falls apart in practice and is disappointing on the musical end. Those hoping for something fresh are let down, and those hoping for the “original” blink-182 are left in the dust.

Published on October 23, 2023 at 10:10 pm