American pop punk giants Blink 182 are back. Five years since their last release, there has been a few changes in the Blink 182 camp. The departure of original member Tom DeLonge being one of them. California, is their seventh studio release, it is also their first with new vocalist, fellow punker and Alkaline Trio’s frontman Matt Skiba.
Stand out tracks include opener “Cynical” which is a fast paced track. The track introduces you to the raw vocals of Skiba. Then there is the more tongue in cheek songs about a girl that are lyrically reminiscent of earlier Blink 182 songs “She’s Out of her Mind” and “Sober”. While you then have the angst riddled, seriously catchy songs of “No Future” and “Teenage Satellites”. The album includes some catchy as hell songs including the summer, party feel song of “Kings of the weekend” and then there is “San Diego”, which is the second song on the album about California, “Los Angeles” and the title track, “California”, being the others. “Home is such a Lonely Place” is one of the slower, stripped back tracks. It has guitar elements that remind you of the self-titled album and the then single “I Miss You”.
The album is definitely more mature, both lyrically and musically. Skiba, fits in perfectly. He adds to the punk element giving them a less pop and more punk feel. Gone is the snottiness that Blink became known for. Instead you have a grown up, well put together, punk rock record but with the added tongue in cheek lyrics. Well, let’s be honest it would not be a Blink 182 record if they did not have the odd tongue in cheek lyric.
8/10
Download California: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/california/id1107053773