New Music

blink-182 unveil new song 'Blame It On My Youth', but is it any good?

May 8, 2019

7 min read

After the eyebrow-raising mashup with their tour buddy Lil Wayne earlier in the week, blink-182 have just released their first new song since 2017's California [Deluxe Edition] and if you loved that album, you're gonna appreciate the catchiness and upbeat style throughout this one (former guitarist Tom DeLonge even shared his approval for it). If you didn't, well, then you're probably not going to enjoy this one.

'Blame It On My Youth' sounds like it's come from the recording sessions from the last album, which in some cases can be fine and work for them as they had some bops on that release (and it's follow up). Positively, after giving it a couple of spins, I can see what idea they were going for, an earworm summer jam single that (hopefully) commercial radio will jump on and play the shit out of. Negatively, they've kinda chucked a whole bunch of ideas together and it's kinda fallen flat in some parts, especially with the group vocal chants, synth, drumming and guitar parts all playing over each other. In saying that, it's not a hot mess like many people were expecting it to be...

When blink first emerged with California, I gave the album my honest opinion (read that here) and this caused a few disagreements and arguments with mates/fans/readers etc but their Deluxe Edition, in my opinion, had stacks of better material with what didn't get released (my review here). The one thing I'll say is the band are progressing and trying new things, which they and all bands are entitled to (and in some cases nail), but the thing for me that I can't let go of is the lyrical content.

Here you have a group of men in their 40's still singing about their youth or teenage years (and that was a focal point with the last album too) and it just seems weird, like an old man holding onto what was once cool for him, despite being too old and out of the demographic now. blink-182 are a band who have three talented musicians, but their downfall is not targetting their music to the fans who have followed their journey for over two decades. It's like they're stuck in the past when the band was in their prime (e.g. Enema/TOYPAJ/Untitled era), but their music is more modernised and the two, when put together, are conflicting and hard to relate to, as an older, once obsessed fan...

That's my judgement, what do you think? Also, remember this is one song out of 40 that the band said they had for this forthcoming album out later this year... Just wait and see what else they have behind them!

Browny @brownypaul