Blink-182 releases first single with new lineup, 'Bored to Death,' announce 'California' release date
After months of waiting, Blink-182 fans finally got the first taste of new music from the trio's revamped line-up on Wednesday. The group, which now features former touring member Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba subbing in for former original guitarist/singer Tom DeLonge, dropped the tune "Bored to Death" after the lyric video was leaked a day early. And, as promised, it's primo Blink.
With driving, double-time drums from Travis Barker and signature earnest vocals from Mark Hoppus, the first track from the 16-song California (due July 1) is a classic tale of teenage yearning, confusion and clumsy flirting. "I think I met her at the minute that the rhythm was set down," Hoppus sings in the lyric video. "I said I'm sorry I'm a bit of a letdown/ But all my friends are daring me to come over/ So I come over and over and over/ So let me buy you a drink and we'll pretend that you think that I'm the man of your dreams come to life in a dive bar."
Blink-182's New Album: What We Do (and Don't) Want to Hear
As strings swell and the tension builds through Barker's rapid-fire drumming, the nearly four-minute song lifts to a crescendo in the second half, with Hoppus' voice isolated in the first lines of the desperate chorus, "Save your breath/ I'm nearly bored to death." And then the full force of the band comes back in as he hits the refrain, "And fading fast/ Life is too short to last long/ Back on earth I'm broken/ Lost and cold and fading fast/ Life is too short to last long."
Check out the full track below:
As KROQ Music Director Lisa Worden predicted a month ago after hearing eight songs from the album, "I think any fan of Blink-182 is going to be ecstatic when they hear the music. I really do! It sounds like Blink-182, but it sounds like Blink in 2016. Lyrically it's clever." Blink, who also released the dates for their power-packed summer tour, recorded nearly 50 songs (30 of which they tossed out) for their first new album since 2011's dark Neighborhoods and are whittling them down to craft their seventh full-length release.
The full track listing for the album:
1. Cynical
2. Bored to Death
3. She's out of Her Mind
4. Los Angeles
5. Sober
6. Built This Pool
7. No Future
8. Home is Such a Lonely Place
9. Kings of the Weekend
10. Teenage Satellites
11. Left Alone
12. Rabbit Hole
13. San Diego
14. The Only Thing That Matters
15. California
16. Bohemian Rhapsody
Here's the trio's first interview about California:
And here are the U.S. dates for their massive summer tour with A Day To Remember, All American Rejects and All Time Low:
July 22: San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
July 23: Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
July 26: El Paso, TX - Don Haskins Center
July 28: Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena
July 29: Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
July 30: San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
July 31: Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug. 2: Atlanta, GA - Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Aug. 3: Greenville, SC - Bon Secours Arena
Aug. 5: West Palm Beach, FL - Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre
Aug. 6: Tampa, FL - Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
Aug. 8: Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater
Aug. 9: Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
Aug. 10: Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 12: Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
Aug. 13: Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach
Aug. 14: Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 16: Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Aug. 19: Boston, MA - Xfinity Center
Aug. 21: Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Aug. 23: Syracuse, NY - Lakeview Amphitheatre
Aug. 24: Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Aug. 25: Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Aug. 27: Hershey, PA - Hershey Park Pavilion
Aug. 28: Pittsburgh, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
Aug. 30: Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theater
Sept. 2: Hartford, CT - Xfinity Theater
Sept. 3: Bangor, ME - Darling's Waterfront Pavilion
Sept. 4: Saratoga, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Sept. 8: Minneapolis, MN - Xcel Energy Center
Sept. 9: Chicago, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Sept. 10: Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Center
Sept. 11: St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Sept. 13: Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
Sept. 15: Boise, ID - Taco Bell Arena
Sept. 16: Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
Sept. 17: Seattle, WA - Key Arena
Sept. 18: Vancouver, BC - Abbotsford Centre
Sept. 20: Portland, OR - Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
Sept. 22: Salt Lake City, UT - Usana Amphitheatre
Sept. 24: Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
Sept. 25: Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
Sept. 28: San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheater
Sept. 29: Irvine, CA - Meadows Amphitheater
Oct. 1: Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
