★★★☆
You could easily liken the energy and potty humour of Blink-182’s new albumCaliforniawith their 1999 releaseEnema Of The State.
This comeback record’s anthemic pop-punk attitude is rife with reminiscent lyrics, catchy melodies and downright silliness.
The addition of Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba to the band (in the absence of Tom DeLonge) doesn’t inhibit traditional Blink in any way – rather, he invokes the band’s mantra and in tracks like ‘Left Alone’ proves his worth as co-vocalist, latching on to the fraternal antics of Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker.
However, by the middle of the album, the novelty has grown dull and the subject matter of the lyrics becomes samey – it’s all wistful memories of their hometowns and the shenanigans of misspent youth, which at times, sounds more tragic than humorous for a group of 40-somethings. With Skiba on board, there was potential to achieve some kind of musical breakthrough that could still adhere to Blink we know and love, but it just doesn’t happen.
Ultimately, this is an album of conflict. While it circles back to the fast-paced punk roots of days gone by with sparks of excellence, it leaves even dedicated fans wishing Blink would just stay away from tainting their legacy.
Blink-182’sCaliforniais out now on BMG/Liberator.
