Amy Shark Completes blink-182 Collab Trifecta with 'My Only Friend' feat. Tom DeLonge
It's no secret that blink blood runs deep in Amy Shark's veins.
We discussed this when she dropped 'C'MON' alongside Travis Barker from her sophomore release Cry Forever (2021), which marked her second feature with a member of the iconic pop punk outfit following the slow-jam love song 'Psycho' with Mark Hoppus, taken from Amy's debut album Love Monster (2018).
Since then, fans from both sides of the fence have been eagerly anticipating whether Sharky would be able to pull off a perfect trifecta by getting Tom DeLonge on a track for her third album, Sunday Sadness, and today that day has arrived - and it was well worth the wait.
Say G'day to 'My Only Friend' - a softly sung, guitar-driven ballad about two lovers feeling lost and alone in a room of strangers when they're just craving the attention of each other. You'd be on the money if you were anticipating an indie-pop sound, but when DeLonge's dulcet tones kick in, elements of his experimental side-project Angels & Airwaves arise as both singers croon, tangoing around verses and the mid-track chorus.
Thematically, it harks back to the vibe of the original duet 'Psycho' and could well and truly serve as a sequel to the story of the lovers depicted in that song, but, it stands firmly on its own two feet making use of this extremely rare collaboration time with Tom. I also foresee this becoming the 'first dance' anthem for many upcoming weddings.
But how did the team-up come about and was it always in Amy's mind to weave her way through the band's most notable lineup to feature on each of her albums? We grabbed Mrs Shark to dig further into 'My Only Friend' and to discuss crossing off the world's first-ever complete collab collection of blink-182 members.
Thanks for taking the time to chat Amy. How long has this been in the works and how did the writing and recording process go with Tom?
The dream was always to have Tom sing on a song with me. He has such an iconic voice [that] everyone around the world knows it. I wrote 'My Only Friend' a while ago. I tracked the song in Sydney and also parts in Wales and Tom recorded his vocals in his studio in San Diego. He was all in from day one and has been an incredible collaborator on this song.
Each album you've released includes a blink-182 flavour, from 'Psycho' to 'C'MON' and now 'My Only Friend'. Was that a natural progression or was it a secret mission you set for yourself before Love Monster?
It’s pretty crazy to think that this actually wasn’t planned or orchestrated in any way. It started with Mark and that wasn’t planned either. Then Travis obviously heard ‘Psycho’ then reached out, so yeah by album three it was obviously going to make complete sense to have Tom on the album.
But with blink reforming this actually made everything quite difficult and I wasn’t sure it was gonna happen. And only because I had Mark and Travis on album one and two, I became completely obsessed with getting Tom on album three. I just wouldn’t have felt complete if I didn’t make this happen.
Fandom aside, what are you hoping fans and new listeners will take from this single's themes and messaging?
I hope fans hear blink-182 and Amy Shark and Tom DeLonge and Box Car Racer and Angels & Airwaves. And I hope every little emo hair on their arms stand-up! Emo never dies
Words by Paul 'Browny' Brown @brownypaul
Dive into 'My Only Friend' below and get your hands on Amy Shark's third album Sunday Sadness - dropping August 16th.
Pre-order here.
Amy Shark - Sunday Sadness tracklisting
1. Slide Down The wall
2. It's Nice to Feel This Way Again
3. Beautiful Eyes
4. Gone
5. Can I Shower At Yours
6. Loving Me Lover
7. Two Friends
8. Babe
9. I'm Sorry
10. My Only Friend (feat. Tom DeLonge)
11. Our Time Together
https://open.spotify.com/track/1f6BPj39g61GSSbbGnI2vU?si=a58f4e780ae547ed
