blink-182 - ONE MORE TIME…

blink-182 may have set the tone for pop-punk with the angsty rebellion of 1999's 'Enema Of The State' and 2001's 'Take Off Your Pants & Jacket', but the band were always bigger than that. There were powerfully tender conversations around broken homes ('Stay Together For The Kids'), depression ('Adam's Song') and generational frustrations ('Anthem Part 2') comfortably set alongside giddy escapism ('All The Small Things') and puerile humour ('Happy Holidays, You Bastard'). Even the more mature 'Untitled' charged between brooding emo, stripped-down theatrics and experimental punk as the trio set about pushing things forward.

Their first go at a reunion album 'Neighborhoods' picked that spirit of evolution back up and landed on sci-fi rock & roll, while the Matt Skiba-featuring 'California' was a love letter to what had come before. More at ease a second time around, 'Nine' was a dark, vicious punk album that wrestled with joy. Desperate to maintain the identity of blink-182, that trio of focused post-hiatus albums lacked the spindly, reckless abandon that had first made the band such a generational force.

'ONE MORE TIME…', the first album to feature Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge since 2011, is fearlessly a Blink-182 album. Tracks like 'Edging' and 'Dance With Me' are frantic, anthemic rock songs that channel the band at their breakout best, 'More Than You Know' is the sort of twisting, forward-facing punk number that toys with boundaries, while the goofy 'Turn This Off!' interlude sees Tom gleefully snarl, "If you're offended by these words, please fuck off". The fact it's sandwiched between the emotional, raw 'One More Time' and the reflective, anxious, but celebratory, 'When We Were Young' shows just how comfortable the band are with themselves and each other this time around.

Championing every corner of the band and their messy history, 'Terrified' is an old Box Car Racer song cut with the intergalactic hope of Angels & Airwaves, while the chirpy, Cure-sampling 'Fell In Love' is the perfect example of Mark's ability to weave between goth and pop. Carefully produced by Travis, the entire album feels rich and modern without losing the dizzying chemistry that's always been this band's strongest weapon.

Beyond the initial wave of warm familiarity, 'ONE MORE TIME…' adds to blink-182's legacy. 'Blink Wave' is a haunted, new wave-inspired track, 'You Talk Too Much (Shut Up)' is a blast of unapologetic hardcore before 'Other Side' weaves punk rock theatrics through heartfelt revelations. Then there's the closing bounce of 'Childhood'. The rumbling, melancholic track sounds like nothing blink or their respective solo projects have put their name to before, all gentle beauty, swaying grandeur and literal nursery rhyme punk. "Why is everyone afraid to be themselves?" sings Mark before Tom asks questions of change, belonging and peace. There's wisdom across the record, but still a fractured sense of unease as 'ONE MORE TIME…' sees the band trying to force joy and optimism out of misery. It's what made the band so relatable the first time around, and it feels viciously important now.