The Sex Jokes Are Back as blink-182 Unload New Song ‘Edging’
‘Edging‘ is the slang word that means you stop and go while masturbating – Urban Dictionary
If you didn’t know that, or the fact Tom DeLonge rejoined blink-182 earlier this week, alongside the band announcing a COLOSSAL worldwide arena tour kicking off in 2023, well, you need to uppercut yourself… twice actually!!!
Once you regroup yourself, read on because the pop punk outfit’s iconic trio – consisting of guitarist DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker – have released new music today and it’s a wonderful time in the world. The boys men return with ‘Edging‘ which will no doubt take a few spins to really appreciate (being one of the most hyped up releases of the year), but many fans will no doubt embrace it coming into their earholes once released at midnight local time.
But what’s like it? Well, read on…
It kicks in with that familiar woosh sound effect they’ve toyed with on songs like ‘Feeling This‘ and ‘The First Time‘ before we’re met with Tom’s iconic vocal twang singing ‘I ain’t that cool a little fucked in the head / they’ll be hanging me quick when I’m back from the dead / get the rope, get the rope, get the rope’ alongside a soft background guitar tone that leads us up to a wholesome back and forth between him and Hoppus in the chorus, while Travis plays an easy uptempo beat behind them. It’s such a weird feeling hearing these two frontmen singing together after so long, and while I was half expecting something EPIC sounding, it has a similar feel to more of their modern/recent albums with a dash of Angels & Airwaves – in particular, ‘No More Guns‘ from AvA‘s album Lifeforms – but better.
When Mark steps up to the mic for his section, you instantly know you’re listening to a blink track. He really has been the heart and voice behind this band since the early years and I’ll personally never take his contributions for granted (not that I have in recent years either). Travis sounds like he’s holding back though. We all know his abilities and what he’s capable of, but his contributions in his come across a bit similar to one of the many pop punk beats he’s bashed out for the plethora of artists he’s collaborated with in recent years – like Jxdn, Willow and MGK. At times, it almost feels as if he’s building up anticipation for something bigger – only to pull back before we get there… Hmm, much like the meaning behind the title of the song.
For a comeback track (especially 10 years since Tom’s been active in blink), it’s catchy earworm material, that will no doubt have us all nodding our heads after a few spins and be a sing-a-long song at their upcoming tour… but it was just lacking that WOW factor. Remember how ‘Up All Night‘ dropped and we all collectively lost out shit? This one just doesn’t have that same feeling. We all know that they’ve got more songs to deliver and this is just the start of what’s to come – so I’m not going to be too hyper-critical; I am however going to embrace it for what it is – the start of the next era of the greatest pop punk band to ever exist on planet Earth.
‘Edging‘ highlights the first time Mark, Tom and Travis have been in the studio together in almost 10 years, with their last collective release, 2012’s Dogs Eat Dogs EP, also marking the last material to feature Tom before the band enlisted the help of Alkaline Trio‘s Matt Skiba for 7 years, where they released two full-length albums, 2016’s California, (its 2017 California Deluxe Edition) and 2019’s return to form record NINE. Both albums kept the spirit of blink alive, but were missing the integral charm that only Mr DeLonge can deliver when teamed up alongside his besties.
This new track is part of the band’s tenth studio album which is set for release in America’s Spring/Summer of 2023 (aka around March 2023 for the rest of us). Pre-orders for vinyl are already taking place on their website and Tom has been talking the album up already, stating on his socials it will be the best of their careers – something which I’ve also been personally telling my inner-blink-circle-jerk of mates since Dogs Eating Dogs dropped a decade ago!
** I’ll update this piece later if the new album’s announcement comes in, so keep it bookmarked and keep your eyes peeled across our socials (Facebook and Instagram)
All differences aside, these three best friends are together again making music that we fanatics will no doubt be losing our minds over for the next decade – it’s certainly a sick time to be a blink fan and they’re only just getting started! Now, let me go back in again for another crack….
blink-182‘s world tour hits Australia and New Zealand in February 2024.
Tickets here
Words by Paul Browny Brown (@brownypaul)
Stream ‘Edging‘ here
