Its been a loooong time since I last visited Blink 182. Matter of fact Enema of the State (1999) may have been the last album I ever heard from the band. For a guy who likes their punk more intellectually stimulating then body humor I just couldn’t get into them. In the meantime life went on and eventually news broke that the band had broke up, or as the bands PR efforts would spin it, they went on an “indefinite hiatus”.

In-between then and now all three members of the band gravitated towards other projects. Hoppus and Barker would form +44, DeLonge would produce for a bit before creating the band Angels & Airwaves, and Barker would also contribute to other ventures. Despite the fact that the band hadn’t played together in so long as a trio I think this was probably for the best as their new album Neighborhoods is unlike anything Blink 182 has ever done. Combine the tragedies that occurred during the bands hiatus; the death of their frequent producer Jerry Finn, who died of a cerebral hemorrhage, and Barkers near death experience when his airplane went down in South Carolina, as well as personal losses such as Barkers marriage to former Miss USA Shanna Moakler and Hoppus’ regret from losing both his band and friend. All of these things seem to have contributed to the maturity of the band as a whole and Neighborhoods truly reflects an aged, more sincere and motivated Blink 182.

The album is filled with songs of remorse, loss, pain and experiments with sounds unheard of on other Blink 182 albums. In a sense this feels like, in the parlance of our times, a reboot of Blink 182. There are synths peppered throughout the album, guitars defy the punk genre with indie sensibilities, metal like crushes, and alternative vibes. Drums are all over the map on this album from ferocious to experimental to tame. Vocals still have that slight childish edge to them that Blink fans will recognize instantly but the album boasts a huge amount of harmony, range, and emoting. Lyrically the album consists of stories that are drenched with real world experiences and poetic narratives that are easily appreciated. In short, if this is the new Blink 182, count me in as a fan. As always final judgment is yours. Enjoy.