Neighborhoods
Blink-182
DCG/Interscope Records
Neighborhoods, Blink-182's first studio album in eight years, represents the growth of the pop punk trio as they have matured and pushed new boundaries with their music since their "indefinite hiatus."
Released Sept. 27, the album contains many themes that may seem foreign to die-hard Blink-182 fans, but it's perhaps best described in the words of Blink themselves: "I guess this is growing up."
Following the release of their eponymous 2003 album, the band struggled with internal issues, which came to a climax with their 2005 "indefinite hiatus." However, in 2009, the band announced their reunion and this subsequent record, which infamously took two years to record. The band took an autonomous approach, self-producing the entire record.
An even farther departure from such efforts as the iconic Enema of the State and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, the album exudes a more aggressive, bleak tone straight from the opening track, "Ghost on the Dancefloor." With a synth-infused drums and guitar intro, vocalist Tom Delonge opens the record with wistful, haunting lyrics: "I'll never let you down, boy / I'll never let you go / Her subtle hint of life / Is so innocent and scary."
Onward and upward, the album kicks into "Natives," which delivers a frenetic, speedy guitar lick. Fronted by bassist Mark Hoppus, it's perhaps the most nostalgic throwback to the late '90s Blink.
The lead single, "Up All Night," is a delightful crucible of past, present and future. Angst-ridden and bearing romantic memories of older Blink tracks, the catchy, upbeat rocker pounds away with stunningly sharp fills from drummer Travis Barker and reverb-drenched vocals from Hoppus and Delonge, who exchange vocal fire in the verses.
Another highlight off the album is "Kaleidoscope," which explores the complex muddle of issues surrounding the creation of the new album.
Let me be clear: the Poway, Calif. trio are indeed exploring new grounds and are no longer young men. Neighborhoods is a far more mature and dark record. Long gone are the days of juvenile potty humour of Blink past. Replacing the usual light-hearted, prankster themes are lyrics dealing with death, depression, and loneliness. Their personal interests as a band have evolved over the past decade, and with it, so has their sound.
Critics of the album have complained that their new album isn't true to Blink-182 of the past, and instead sounds like a far darker, depressing shell of the band. Perhaps their journey, musically speaking, is representative of life itself. At first, it begins carefree and intrinsically simple. However, as the years wear on, the simplicity of old vanishes, and in its absence, a wealth of heavier problems and issues emerge.
Similarly, these three have evolved from college-crooning punks into mature, emotionally-advanced adults. Neighborhoods represents a vast gap of time, from 2003 to the present day, and the immense transformations a human undergoes through such a passage of time.
Neighborhoods is never boring, occasionally brilliant, and constantly pushing new borders. Make no mistake: the boys are back in top, albeit more mature, form.
So, to respond to those detractors: no, Blink-182 is not composed of three humourless, depressed and grumpy men.
They simply grew up.
