Blink-182’s New Album May Feature Grimes, Lil Uzi Vert, and Pharrell

Grimes yes! Others not so much..

 

And the struggle for relevancy continues. Depending on how this is all integrated, it could be great... Or awful.

Not gonna lie, though. I'd be interested hearing a Pharrell-produced Blink track.

 

Pharrell is an amazing producer, his rock-based stuff with NERD was great. Uzi and Grimes though...I’ll reserve judgement until I hear it.

Considering Nine was a massive flop without a “hit” I’m not surprised they’re back in the studio.

 

Not excited about all this but will of course still listen...haven’t liked over half of what they’ve released the last couple album’s, wish they could put something out more mature sounding like Self Titled

 

Man, this band is so dead to me now days.

 

I love Uzi so I'm down to hear what a feature on a blink song would sound like

 

in before someone says “Hopefully, it will also feature actual riffs, am I right?”

 

Love it. Pack it with different genres and features

 

I’m down for a funked-up Blink.

 

I still don’t get how everyone slept on NINE. It must have been the singles, which did no justice to the rest of the record.

If they released most of the back half (“Pin The Grenade” “Hungover You” “On Some Emo Shit”) to radio, it would be a monster.

 

Nine ruled! Agree with your take fully.

 

I don't think Nine was total trash, but I don't think it was the masterpiece destined for mainstream pop success that others seem to think it was either...

30% of it was fantastic. The rest was either average or a sonic experiment that didn't quite work. Not trash And reflecting on it? A lot of the tracks feel like dudes in their late 40s trying to appeal to "the youths." An insincere, but well-structured reach in a shiny package.

Blink-182 probably won't ever be on Top 40 radio again. They probably won't ever have another platinum record again. The sooner they can come to terms with that, the better off everyone involved will be. Including the fans. Just write music that sounds like they give a shit about it, and I think more people will be on board. And ironically, that could lead to more success. Maybe not radio play, but streams and playlist placement equivalents. Artists are always quick to say "We went in a different direction and fans hated it because it was poppy" when the real reason is that it sounds like they were kinda phoning it in...

I honestly wonder if bringing in some strong collaborators, who are successful in their own right in the world they want to "live" in, and a producer who knows the hip-hop, pop, and rock worlds well (Pharrell) would help them to realize what they're going for a little more and force them to kick it up a notch.

 

I think Blame It On The Youth was not the right choice for the first single. Darkside or I really Wish I Hated You would have been better choices. Also the rollout of the tour with Lil Wayne was not great. Lots of fan backlash for them touring with Wayne and then turning it into an Enema Anniversary tour to save face with those fans was such a weird decision. I think support that appeased their fanbase more/announcing it was an anniversary tour from the start and better choices for a single would have made that run much more successful.

 

NINE really is great, but I think their moment in the mainstream is over. So many of their musical deficiencies that were endearing in their (and our) youth now seem magnified as they've aged. They're really hard to listen to live. And while I LOVE the album cuts on NINE, neither singer has a great voice for modern radio--even in the more accessible singles from the albums.

I don't like to admit these things. I ADORE blink, and I really enjoyed NINE very much. I just don't think they have what teenagers care to listen to anymore.

 

I think this nails it.

It’s easy to envision them selling out huge shows again because they did it pretty easily when they came back. But Matt, as much as I love him in blink, is not what a blink live audience wants to see. He’s a little monotone and he’s clearly different sounding than Tom, which is gonna be a surprise for the 30% of folks who don’t know he’s not in the band anymore.

The tour fiasco was weird. And while I admire them trying to branch out with tour partners, you gotta know your audience. I like Lil Wayne. But I don’t want to see him at a blink show. Someone a bit more cross genre could have worked, but they also would show up blink, in a way.

I still think they have it in them to write one more great album. And if they don’t, they’ll have a ton of appeal to play these songs forever. I’ll come hear TOYPAJ in full the second they decide to do that tour. And I’ll bring my kids, who love “First Date” and “Rock Show.” And maybe they’ll think it’s cool that dad took them to see some punk rock, but maybe they won’t.

I guess this is growing up.

 

Going to be uninspired corporate garbage from a group of extremely wealthy generic pop producers who have no resemblance of a normal life for listeners to relate to. And will do well through massive capital marketing that is essentially forced upon the people to ensure numbers go up, regardless of it being not really enjoyed by many. So sick of this. Travis has horrible taste in music and his influence on the band has been sad.

What happened to this band? What happened to the Absolute Punk community? Its like a Taylor Swift message board here now.

 

This doesn't excite me at all. Maybe they'll prove me wrong.

 

I agree completely. I think they have achieved unique brand and level of fame that they've struggled to navigate since their breakup. They *were* as famous as Green Day or even a Fall Out Boy at the height of the aforementioned bands, but not as talented or equipped for longevity as either. And then if we compare them to bands like New Found Glory or, I don't know, Simple Plan, that never got huge enough to really have to grapple with mainstream expectations, we find that blink is in a weird limbo between those levels of fame.

I think the average radio listener gravitated toward Tom's voice. Without him, they just don't have that je ne sais quoi that a radio band needs. For the record, I love Matt, and I've loved blink for so long, I'm just happy if they're happy and making music.

I also believe they can write another great album. I think NINE flirted with greatness. But a great album and a "radio" album are two very different things. Unless there's an unforeseen return of 2000s pop-punk and emo into the mainstream, I don't think radio listeners need or want blink anymore.

 

I remember when Fall Out Boy started working on all these cross over artists I kind of lost interest because the music started to change more and more. Hopefully, bringing in people on Blink's sound doesn't have the same impact on their music. That's the benefit of doing guests appearances is to hear people in other environments. Or if you want to adjust a bit, hire a different producer to with a different background and see what happens.

Considering how successful this band is and has been musically and financially, I hope they just continue to make stuff they like and try not to just be famous. Mark and Travis have established legendary status in music by doing just that. They are too old and established for fame chasing. Make records you like like because that's really the records we like. Let's avoid another Neighbourhoods compromise.

 

is this satire?

I don’t think Travis has bad taste in music (well are we counting $uicideboys or whatever?) but he does collaborate with well known abusers and misogynists quite often, and no one here seems to want to have him answer for that.

 

This has been discussed hundreds of times.

I think people need to decide for themselves how they feel about and and move forward accordingly.

Also, I don’t get what you mean by answer.

 

People like what they like, man. I love Slipknot and Adele. Humans contain multitudes. Blink is no different.

There is plenty of great pop punk out there right now. I love it myself (the new Seaway record from a few months ago is particularly great). Blink isn’t gonna be that band again, as much as most of us wish they were.

(quietly) Neighborhoods is not as bad as you remember. It’s not a good blink album. But it’s a very good record that sounds even better today.

 

MGK, ATL on radio, Yungblud and the pop punk/emo renaissance on TikTok or all places makes me think this is coming again soon, if not already here.

 

I still listen to Neighbourhoods and I still find that the influence of Tom’s AvA desires way too heavy for a Blink with maybe the exception of After Midnight (and maybe Up All Night). Album feels like a compromise to get a record done (musically and production wise).