Blink-182’s Not Dead … is it?

In news that will surprise no-one, Tom Delonge has dropped another Facebook post in response to the release of the new Blink-182 single.

DeLonge’s lengthy post in regards to the recent attention essentially boils down to the sentiment that his and Blink’s “current artistic differences … are difficult to overcome”. If Bored To Death is the direction that Blink wanted—more on that further down the page—then what could DeLonge have possibly wanted to attempt to warrant leaving? If July 1 rolls around and California is frustratingly boring, then maybe it’s right to say that DeLonge has a more successful idea of where Blink should head. However, for a dude that’s currently working with the U.S Department of Defence on a book series alongside an innumerable amount of other projects, is it wrong to question whether his ideas are too broad? That being said, there’s no point in recapping the whole ‘loss of Tom DeLonge’ saga, so let’s jump right into why Bored to Death and Built This Pool is the right way for Blink-182 to head.

Sonically, Bored To Death bears the most similarity to Mark and Travis’ previous outfit +44 and even a throwback to Blink’s Dogs Eating Dogs EP. With some of the feedback to Bored To Death though, it’s hard not to believe that Matt and Travis didn’t just outright hold a press conference and screamed “FUCK BLINK FANS”. It’s not a terrible song by any means. It’s still So-Cal and more than just a hint of Adam’s Song, plus Skiba’s voice is far too overproduced. For better or worse, it’s nothing we haven’t really heard before.

However, there is absolutely no way Blink could throw out a song that doesn’t play it safe, and bear similarities to their old material. Some bands need to change as they mature. Different avenues need to be explored, and it’s almost sad to see some bands pushing their way through the next album of the same old riffs and drum beats. Not Blink though. Blink-182 is a band that needs to stay 100% the goddamn same because they’re a band that thrives on lifetime fans. The majority of Blink diehards have their faith rooted in nostalgia, and shaking the formula too far up means that we’re going to stray a bit too far into Neighbourhoods territory. Imagining Matt Skiba’s debut with anything but the vocal patterns in Bored To Death would lead to a full-scale revolt from fans. If it’s the original trio, it’s quite possible that there would be an endless amount of forgiveness due to their fans’ faith alone. However, with such a seismic shift as replacing a founding member, it’s more than wise for Blink to stay true to their original material.

If Bored to Death isn’t enough to stop you from burning your smiley face tattoo off, maybe their subsequent release will keep you away from the blowtorch. Built This Pool is quintessential Blink-182, and is the type of material that will transport fans back to blasting Family Reunion through their Discman. Look at all the drama surrounding Tom’s departure and the fans that herald Bored To Death as the ‘death of Blink’. Arriving back in our lives with a 14 second joke cuts swiftly through the bullshit, and proves that just hearing laughter and a sense of humour from the band is exactly what’s needed at this point. This isn’t a band that warrants lengthy think pieces, they’re the band that’s supposed to be the antithesis to all of it. If anything fundamentally changes—or stays the same in a ‘damned if they do’ situation—Blink-182 will simultaneously enrage/please thousands of people and continue doing what they want regardless. So someone buy me a plane ticket to their insane American tour and let’s not take any of this too seriously shall we?//