Weigh your options. See the band that made their name with songs that still resonate on the Scooby Doo Live action soundtrack or the band that Fire starter? The choice is yours, Leedsfest-goers. For some, it will be the opportunity to immerse themselves in The Prodigy, while others will seek calmer waters with Blink-182. Some will be baffled by both and will probably sit in their cramped tent and read the rest Rosemary’s Baby and the hours until a warm shower and the sweet embrace of a The Sopranos again. But you woke up this morning and decided that a little research wouldn’t hurt. One more time… is an album by Blink-182 and will give you a fighting chance in the pit lane if you can remember some of the lyrics.
We’ve learned so far that the band has a hyphen before the numbers and shares the same punk influence as Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and that collective that made great Tumblr fodder. About as edgy as Wheatus on a bad day. One more time… is their latest effort, a 2023 smash-up of what they’ve learned both as a band and through their travails over the past few years. At least they have the resources to create an honest and open work. Few can say that, and even fewer can fail to turn near-death experiences and the camaraderie of a long-standing band into believable songs. Loud instrumental work and vocal-stifling whine, that’s Hymn Part 3 for you. When the band first started, that vocal tone was fresh, funny, and carried the torch for the rest of post-punk. Now it seems whiny and insincere, played for the sake of playing.
The comeback has a weightless sound. A drummer out of step, fighting for a place in the spotlight with the slightly electronically altered vocals. It doesn’t add anything, the impressive but childish tempo of the drumming is meant to be applauded as a standalone piece rather than working in unison with the rest of the band. Selfish to a certain extent, but at least it distracts from the simple lyrics, which are about heartbreak and the search for something to make up for the loss. Fell in love is the perfect example of Blink-182’s problem. Their lyrical testament is simple but well-intentioned. The vocal choices are questionable and the instrumentals are gentle, if a little empty. One more time shows how little Blink-182’s sound has changed, and that’s as reductionist as it gets. They’re almost 50 and still singing about teenage romance. Throwbacks? That doesn’t sound like it.
It is less tiring to spend hours on the phone with British Gas on a hot day like today than to listen One more time… An album built on nostalgia for the band, Blink-182 reaches its breaking point with a rough cut of teenage antics. But by failing to grow and expose themselves to the realities that trampled them on their first outing, Blink-182 show that they have not matured. There is an uncomfortable feeling with the likes of dance with me that feels inaccessible because the band has refused to fit in with the real world. They still believe skatepunk is the next big thing. Reel Big Fish are derided for sticking with ska. Why not save some of those reactionary, highbrow tones for a band selling nostalgia on an expensive tour and learning little or nothing from album to album? An album stuck in the past, made for those who wish they were there.
