Blink-182 held nothing back regarding the “gnarly” details of their forthcoming album, One More Time, available for download on October 20th. As each member (Tom Delonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker) reflects on personal tragedies, the band also finds the strength to unify and become closer than ever.
During a sneak peek of an interview (the full one will be available on September 21st) with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the Southern Californian group discussed the inspiration behind the new album, what happened when Tom left, and what Travis said about blink-182’s future. Additionally, the footage inside the interview was comprised of personal journeys, as well as samples of three new tracks.
“What you need to understand about Blink-182 is that we didn’t come out from joyous homes; we came out of a lot of heartbreak, broken families, fist fights, so blink was always a way to ‘force’ that happiness into the room,” Delonge describes the origins of the band.
The pop-punk band formed in the early 1990s in Poway, California, as young adults. It wasn’t until 1999 that Blink found mainstream success with their third album, Enema of the State. From that point forward, the band had nowhere to go but up, as they found themselves surrounded by fans across the globe.
But with ups, there were also downs. While the downs were met with extreme navigation, the guys rose above the flames and found a new focus as a trio. In the track “One More Time” (also the album’s title), personal tragedies were composed in the lyrics.
Hoppus was diagnosed with stage four B-cell lymphoma, a rare type of cancer targeting the B cells, in 2021. After treatment and chemo rounds, the bassist announced that he was cancer-free that same year. He recalled to Lowe how the disease made him into a “hollow shell” and that the chemotherapy “wrecked” his vocal cards. For blink-182’s Coachella concert in April this year, Hoppus worked extensively with a vocal coach so he could rock out on stage with his bandmates.
Upon hearing about Hoppus’s cancer, Delonge returned to Blink and the music scene in October 2022. Since his return, the band wrote and released the VMA “Best Alternative” nominated song, “Edging,” and a two-year world tour. He left the band to focus on other projects but left Barker and Hoppus to keep their dreams alive.
“I remember telling my wife now, like, well, I don’t think I’m ever going to play music again. I don’t think I’m ever going to tour again,” he shared. “Until Mark told me that he was sick . And then that was the only thing I wanted to do.”
In 2008, Barker had a brush with death when he, Adam “DJ Am” Goldstein, and a few others were involved in a plane crash in South Carolina. Barker and Goldstein were the only survivors, but the latter died a year later due to mental health struggles.
The crash left Barker with multiple burns, PTSD, and an intense fear of flying. It wasn’t until he began traveling with his now-pregnant wife, Kourtney Kardashian, that he combated his fear. He praised her through the healing process, and the couple hit a milestone in his journey when they wed in Portofino, Italy, in May 2022.
The drummer spoke about how the crash became immortalized in One More Time and how the catastrophes reunited him, Delonge, and Hoppus.
“Why does it take these catastrophes, like me being a plane crash or Mark being sick, for our band to get back together?”
Despite the obstacles, now remnants of the past, Blink-182 utilized the negative into a positive as they forged ahead with new music and love as a brotherhood.
“I always knew that the brotherhood would never deteriorate or wouldn’t be there,” reveals Barker. “I really feel like Blink is us three, and as soon as we accept that, we just won’t settle for anything less than that, I just think that’s the future.”
As for Blink-182’s upcoming album, Hoppus states, “It’s the best album that we ever made.”
One More Time will have seven new tracks, which can be viewed below:
“Anthem Part 3”
“Dance With Me”
“Fell in Love”
“Terrified”
“One More Time”
“More Than You Know”
“Turn This Off!”
“When We Were Young”
“Edging”
“You Don’t Know What You’ve Got”
“Blink Wave”
“Bad News”
“Hurt (Interlude)”
“Turpentine”
“F— Face”
“Other Side”
“One More Time” will be the first single off the album, available to download/buy on September 21st. The album, in its entirety, will be available on October 20th in CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Barker produced the majority of the record.
In a press release from Blink and Columbia Records, the album has the following descriptor:
“One More Time captures the band at the top of their game, layering in themes of tragedy, triumph, and most importantly, brotherhood.”