Blink-182 released a new single, “Parking Lot” apart of their deluxe album of California, that introduces 11 new songs that will all be available on May 19th.
No matter what mixed feelings you obtained by listening to the original California album, this song definitely redirects a sense of old Blink-182 in a new body. Here is my review of Blink’s latest song, ‘Parking Lots’.
The song starts off very strong. Heavy guitar chords and drums from Travis Barker open the song immediately, which kind of gear you back to that old 90’s-2000’s pop-punk tune. That familiar tune is something that Blink lacked in the California album, as it had a loss of tone from previous records. However, this song still had some intricate riffs, such as the following riff after the hardcore drums. As soon as tune hit my ears, I immediately thought of Tom DeLonge’s opening riff in their hit song “M+M’s” from Dude Ranch, which believe me, is nice to hear.
The lyrics are catchy, but nonetheless creative as others they’ve written before. The song is all about Californian adolescence and their wild antics as somewhat outcasts. It’s what Blink has been all about since their roots, which is punk-adolescence lashing out and making the best of the time that they’re wasting.
As far as organization goes for the song, it has a good mix of both Mark Hoppus and Matt Skiba, where sometimes it can be hard to differentiate the difference between the two. This single was a good example that they don’t necessarily sound alike all the time. Mark kept his usual monotone sound, while Matt held his ground with his high pitched singing.
The only real problem I had with this song is the excessive, “na,na,na’s” and the “woooaaaaahhhs”. As heard in the original California album, it got more annoying in each song as you heard it. This song sort of has an excuse, as the aforementioned lyric fillers establish a home within the riffs. Its less annoying than the previous songs, but it’s still bearable.
Overall, the song is a perfect balance of the new Blink-182 era without Tom and the old whiny Blink that reiterates what it means to be an kid lost in a big world. It definitely brings back good memories and gives a lot of hope for the deluxe edition of California.
Overall grade: B+
If you disagree or have any comments, make sure to leave your response, I’d love to hear what you think about the new single.
If you want to listen to the new song, listen below!
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