BLINK 182: One More Time...

Well, I guess this is growing up indeed: When Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker announced their reunion last year, it was with the fun but forgettable single “Edging,” an archetypical Blink 182 track that would have been right at home on one of their early albums. It wasn’t exactly a grand gesture of a song, but the hype of the reunion has nonetheless sparked excitement on a global scale.

Call it a case of You Don’t Know What You’ve Got ‘Til It’s Gone, but somehow, this snotty little Orange County punk band outlived the early ‘00s and can still make front page headlines just by making up. The album, fittingly, is called One More Time… For longtime Blink fans, the classic trio mending fences is something akin to half of The Beatles coming back from the dead to put out a new song. (Oh wait, that is also happening!?)

Now that it’s here, let the discourse begin: Are the guys actually getting on OK? Is it a real reunion or a trip to the bank? Does the new album stand up to Enema of The State? Let me take that last question first: There is no substitute- most especially in pop-punk-rock- for being twenty-three. The guys have grown up, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They’re still writing catchy tunes about banging your mom- but there is some genuinely heartfelt stuff in between.

One More Time… at the very least exceeds the mixed results of the last few albums, in which Matt Skiba gamely swapped places with Tom DeLonge. If you’re looking for some back-to-the-well power chords- and if you don’t mind a few compression issues- the signature sound is intact again, from three old friends who are finally acting like old friends again, rather convincingly.

Opener “Anthem Part 3” effectively nails the piss and vinegar of the late ‘90s. Tom's vocals still exude youthful clarity and punk rock charisma. “Dance With Me” will sound right at home on modern rock radio, and might as well be a lost track from some American Pie soundtrack. Occasionally, there are some lyrical thuds- like on the needlessly sullen title track, although that song will certainly have its defenders.

If you’re still on the fence, you need only return to your classic Blink CDs, give them a spin, and then ask yourself if that baggy-jeaned punkass of your youth is still alive and well. One More Time… isn’t exactly a leap into maturity. But for the Blink diehards, that’s probably great news. B+