With their second release since returning from hiatus, it’s official: blink-182 is BACK. And I’m not talking about back in the sense that they’re together again, but back in the sense that they’re finally a real band again. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved Neighborhoods , but I think I loved it simply because it meant I was listening to new blink-182 material. It wasn’t really blink-182…
From the opening sounds of the first track, When I Was Young, you can tell that Dogs Eating Dogs is different. While the Angels and Airwaves style synths and effects are still there, it’s definitely not AVA. About 40 seconds in, Travis starts to roll in, and you just know you’re about to take off. Tom’s vocals are spot on (I think he’s finally learned to sing), and Mark’s ever present “rhythm guitar” bass playing style is back. Lyrically, I think this is the strongest they’ve been since Asthenia off of their untitled album. Just an all-around great song. 5 years from now, when blink releases another Greatest Hits album, this will definitely be the song off the EP that makes the cut.
The second (and title) track starts off quick and loud, and Travis just kills it the whole song. In what is probably the quickest tempo on a blink song since Go, the drums are very important, and Travis doesn’t disappoint. The variety in the chorus really helps sets the mood, going from simple tom beats to a more up-tempo beat to accent the lyrics perfectly. And then the song goes into an instrumental bridge, and Travis just starts showing off. Really impressive stuff from him on this song. Guitar and bass work is fairly simple, but it wouldn’t be blink if Travis didn’t show everyone else up on at least one track every album.
Disaster is definitely the most AVA-ish song on the album, with a heavy synth and delayed guitar starting the song. I actually really enjoy how Travis plays along with what could have been a single off of Love, Pt. 2. Atom (AVA’s drummer up until a year ago) always played with a fairly straightforward style, and Travis’ style really gives the songs a poppier feel. Very cool.
The next song, Boxing Day, is semi-acoustic and probably the biggest departure yet from blink’s early days as an immature pop-punk band. While definitely still in the “emo” vein of the untitled album, this song covers a break-up, but from a much more mature place than Enema of the State. Travis’ drumming is surprisingly strong on a song that involves simple picked guitar parts and acoustic guitar strums, and Mark has his best vocal performance of the album on the chorus of this song. You can just really feel the emotion in his voice the whole time.
And possibly my favorite song off the album is the closer, Pretty Little Girls. I honestly hope this is what the next blink album sounds like. Extremely well written lyrics. The epicness of Angels and Airwaves. The poppy feeling of Plus 44. And as always, Travis doing his thing (it’s a mid-tempo song and I still find myself having to take breaks from air drumming to type this out). Simply outstanding. If not for the really weird Yelawolf verse at the end, this would challenge Asthenia and Not Now for the title as my favorite blink song.
Overall, I’m beyond stoked about this EP. I still can’t believe that I’m listening to new blink. If you had told me 5 years ago that blink would be getting back together, I wouldn’t have believed you at all, but I still probably would have crapped myself from excitement. If their next album is anything like this EP, I’ll be extremely satisfied. Just 5 songs released in the middle of December, but it still is probably my second favorite album of 2012.
Score: 9.5/10
- JL
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