Well we've all been waiting, and here it is. blink-182's much anticipated single off their equally anticipated 7th album, "California". Summer 2016 is set to be one of the best since 1999. "Bored To Death" serves as the band's comeback comeback song, as well as Matt Skiba's studio debut with the band.
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If you were worried about the band heading in a different direction following their second split with Tom Delonge, don't worry. They're the same band they've been for over twenty years. Which has its ups and downs.
An obvious summer song with a power chorus and the woeful lyrics. But let's take a second to compare it to the band's previous "comeback" single, "Up All Night". Both are slower for the usually fast paced pop punk band. Both draw heavily on alt. rock and mainstream rock. Sadly, only one really satisfies blink's legacy. And it's not "Bored to Death", which we kinda are after the first verse and chorus.
At least with "Up All Night" the song sounded like a natural continuation of the band's music from their "untitled" album. This feels more like blink trying to compete with modern pop punk acts like All Time Low, Mayday Parade, As It Is, and even 5 Seconds of Summer. The band are in their 40s, yet they're still singing about the same things they were when they were in their twenties. Getting old and wishing they could turn the clock back.
Now that's not to say the song is a total washout. There are some bright moments. Travis Barker's hybrid drumming style being one of them. It's a little pop punk, a little hardcore, and a little rap rock. The harmonies between the two vocalists (though Skiba's primary role is guitarist not vocalist) is unexpectedly great. Yes it's completely different from the classic Tom and Mark combination, but it's close enough for us.
The chorus has this "heartfelt" quality to it. Something we haven't seen in the band's music since "Stay Together for the Kids" or "I Miss You". Alkaline Trio's pop punk is a bit darker, and truth be told we were hoping Skiba would bring some of that into blink's music just to shake things up a little. Of course this is only the first single, so we'll just have to wait and see what else the band has in store for us.
Summary -
It's no "First Date" and certainly no "What's My Age Again?". But this slower track proves blink-182 are far from through with their musical career. The song has touches of the "old" blink, but enough of the "new" blink that the track doesn't feel like a stale repeat. After a few listens, you're sure to be hooked in. Or you might be "bored to death" with blink trying to beat the younger upstarts bands at their own game. No offense, but given a choice we'll take Neck Deep's "Gold Steps" or even State Champs, "All You Are Is History" over this single.
Rating - 7.5/10