Pop punk legends. There are too many to count on both hands, and there is usually a point where they die out and let their past speak for itself. However, in certain circumstances, the members come back together. It can leave someone wondering something: was the wait worth it?
Background
Blink-182 is a household name in the pop punk scene, and a description is almost not needed. Their songs range from being memeable, memorable, and hysterical. "One More Time" is their ninth studio album, a few years after the record "Nine".
Album Highs
One thing to be said about this record is that it is simply fun. Blink-182 is notorious for not taking themselves too seriously, and it is evident through their music. An example comes from the song "Turn This Off," which is a short track with crude lyrics telling a story of a date ending too quickly. It is meant to be a funny interlude-type track to give a breather after emotionally heavy songs like the title track and "More Than You Know."
Another thing about this record that makes it stick out is the classic pop punk sound. A lot of the time, the sound is a soft yellow hue (i.e., "Fell in Love"), meaning that it is overwhelmingly positive. What is interesting about this is even if the song is melancholy, it still keeps this color within it.
Album Lows
The main thing that docks this record some points is that as the record goes on, the songs get progressively weaker. It is after the tenth track the tracks are not as vibrant as the first half. It is not to say that the entire second half of the record is bad, in fact there is not a bad song within it. However, the energy dies out a little and it is evident that a song like "Blink Wave" did not get the same amount of attention as "Dance With Me."
More: Beartooth's 'The Surface' is an album of self-love
More: An interview with Paul Banks
Verdict
It is another one for the books for Blink-182. It is safe to say that the record was worth the four-year wait.
This album is a 7/10
Kasper Mielke is a music reviewer for the Eastern Echo. He is a women and gender studies major with a minor in creative writing. He has worked for The Echo since the summer of 2022, and has stuck to writing music reviews.
