On Nov. 18th, 2003, the unthinkable happened. With the release of their self-titled sixth album, Blink-182 grew up. This album retained the band’s usual gift for hooks and built on their previous albums to create an entirely new, and dare it be said, mature Blink. The boys demonstrated their growth with more insightful lyrics in addition to more experimental musical backgrounds.
With all of this growth, America’s favorite pop-punk group seemed destined to live forever. But as a number of Blink-182 songs have detailed, growing up isn’t always easy. On the tour to support the album, singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge grew apart from the other members. DeLonge left the band in late 2004 to pursue other interests.
After DeLonge’s departure, the question on the mind of most Blink fans for almost two years has been, “What happened to the rest of the band?” The answer is, of course, +44 (pronounced “Plus 44”)-a new endeavor from Blink-182 singer/bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer/keyboardist Travis Barker. To round out the band, Barker and Hoppus recruited two new guitarists, Shane Gallagher of the Nervous Return and Craig Fairbaugh, who played in the Transplants and the Forgotten among other bands.
On first listen, +44’s debut When Your Heart Stops Beating (Interscope Records, Nov. 14.), sounds a lot like 2003’s self-titled Blink-182 album. Both albums are full of tuneful vocals and a fair amount of electronic elements, but not enough for the listener to lose the sense that it’s a rock album. Hoppus said in an interview, “We were two-thirds of Blink-182, so we’re not afraid of sounding like ourselves. We’re not divorcing ourselves from the past, but we are pushing beyond the past. We’re progressing like musicians should.”
On their debut album, which the band produced with long-time Blink producer Jerry Finn, the guitars and bass work to create a mood rather than rocking out, but thanks to the band’s skillful touch, it feels warm and organic. The band demonstrates a definite Cure influence on a number of the songs, but “155” is the best example. It drives forward with a pulsating beat while chiming synthesizers accompany Hoppus’ minimal delivery and poetic lyrics about lost love. As with the best Cure songs, the catchy, dark hook gives the song unlimited replay value.
A number of the songs, especially “Weatherman” and “No It Isn’t,” are pretty dark-a far cry from the party hearty antics of past Blink-182 songs like “What’s My Age Again?” These songs don’t focus on lost love or teenage struggles, but stare reality right in the face. “Weatherman,” in particular, focuses on a man without hope who feels totally powerless within his world. Hoppus’ quiet delivery and the subtle atmospherics of the song only intensify the feelings of emptiness the lyrics describe.
But fear not, long-time Blink fans. Hoppus, Barker and Co. still know how to lay down a “hooky” song to which you can jump around. The chorus of “Little Death” is probably one of the best that the band has ever written. Songs like “Cliff Diving” and “Make You Smile” are insanely catchy, poppier offerings. The major difference is that the more experienced lads in +44 have seen the ups and downs of love and write about romantic tribulations from a less certain position. The lyrics are a bit more nostalgic, but they retain a lot of the hope that made Blink-182 songs so appealing in the first place.
The new +44 album showcases the melodic lyrical gifts of Hoppus and the drumming might of Barker, one of the best in the business at propelling a song. It is telling that the album closer, “Chapter 13,” is an epic and heartfelt song that crystallizes the experience of growing up without having to mention it. When Hoppus utters the chorus, “I’m scraped and sober but there’s no one listening,” he taps into the struggle of millions of young adults facing the prospect of maturing while trying not to lose their ability to be thinking, feeling individuals. The guys of +44 may have grown up, but they’ve stayed in touch with their youth-enough to make songs that can appeal to just about anyone.