Blink-182 Nine Album Review

Blink-182’s eighth album Nine is the followup to California (2016). Mark Hoppus is the lone founding member of the band now. He is the artistic link between the old and new Blink-182. Current lineup involves Matt Skiba, the front man of Alkaline Trio, as the guitarist, and Travis Barker as the drummer. Blink-182 founding members Scott Raynor and Tom DeLonge are no longer part of the band. Scott was removed from the band due to his drinking addiction in 1999. Tom DeLonge went on to pursue other interests in 2015.

Blink-182 are the trailblazers of American pop-punk. It’s a band that has seen the ups and downs of fame in their artistic journey. The band has seen gap years and controversies in their careers. When MCA records pressurized them to make another hit like Enema of the State, they made the joke tracks ‘Fuck a Dog’ and ‘When you fucked grandpa’ as a fuck off to the record label. The music video for ‘What’s My Age Again,’ has the bands members running naked on the streets.

The band’s hit songs ‘All The Small Things’ and ‘What’s My Age Again’ from their first commercial hit album Enema of the State are still their popular tracks on streaming site Spotify. If young fans warm up to the new album, few tracks in Nine have the potential to become the band’s all time greatest hits.

Blink-182 – Nine album will make you nostalgic

Old Boys of Blink-182 ironically open the album with the song ‘The First Time.’ It discusses the high of doing and experiencing something for the first time. If Blink-182’s goal is to appeal to younger fans, then this is an apt track. Mark Hoppus and Matt Skiba share the chorus that sums up the song and sets the tone for the rest of the album.

“Sometimes we get lost inside our little heads

Don’t sleep just yet, we all know that there’s nothing like the

First love, first high, there ain’t nothing like the first time

Passed out last night, there ain’t nothing like the first time“

‘Happy Days’ is an empowering song. Produced by Tim Pagnotta and powered by drum beats and guitar riffs this is the type of song that will inspire a young millennial to pickup the guitar and dream of becoming a rock star. Talking to Zane Lowe of Apple Music, Mark Hoppus explained what Happy Days is all about: “It’s about coming from a place of frustration and anger and saying fuck it, and just saying ‘I wanna go to better times, I wanna be in a better place, I’m gonna leave all this shitty nonsense behind and find my zone.”

‘Darkside’ is a song in which a dude decides to go to the dark side to be with a girl who’s radically different and probably suffering from some sort of illness. Mark Hoppus throws some light in verse 2.

“She’s a girl, I look back to what could have been

Her cloak and dagger, mouth tastes like medicine

She won’t last the night (She won’t last the night)“

Blink-182 is definitely conscious of the band’s age and the age of its members. But the band makes sure the songs are young and still possesses the irreverent coolness of pop-punk. ‘Blame It on The Youth,’ is another revealing song in which the band members look back at their youthful indiscretions and their journey.

There are three tracks that explore the scenario of losing someone and not getting over them. ‘Run Away,’ ‘Black Rain,’ and ‘I Really Wish I Hated You’ are the three songs in which the band members take turns to express the hopelessness of this scenario. These are timeless songs that will resonate with music listeners of all ages. Despite the content of the song, the band make these triplet songs fast paced and enjoyable. ‘Run Away’ opens with a cool hip-hop drum beat that is numbed down once the vocals and guitar take over.

The exploration of missed connections continues into the fag end of the album. ‘On Some Emo Shit,’ ‘Hungover You’ and ‘Remember To Forget Me’ all complement each other and are lined up perfectly in the album. Overall, Blink-182’s Nine is a youthful album that explores and reflects about love and heartbreak. It’s album will time transport you back to those good old days of 1990s.

Musicjo.com Rating: 7.5/10

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Blink-182 Nine Tracklist