One More Time... is the ninth studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on October 20, 2023, through Columbia Records. The album marks the return of guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge following his departure from the band in 2015. DeLonge was prompted to return after bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2021. Following a meeting between DeLonge and his former bandmates, the trio overcame lingering disputes, which later led to DeLonge's return.
Recorded over a span of seven months, One More Time... lyrically explores familiar territory like relationships and maturation, as well as lyrics inspired by the band's own history and Hoppus' battle with cancer. Barker handled the production, largely tracked at his Woodland Hills compound in the band's home state California. The album's digital artwork consists of black-and-white portraits of the trio while physical editions were printed with the band's signature smiley logo, drawn by famed graffiti artist Eric Haze.
One More Time... became the band's third number-one album on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., and reached the top five in a dozen other countries. Of its six pre-release singles, both "Edging" and the title track were top hits on the Alternative Airplay charts domestically. The album itself has generated songs with the highest total number of weeks spent at number one on said chart, with thirty-three weeks total. It received largely favorable responses from music critics, with most celebrating the band's back-to-basics approach. Blink-182 have promoted the album with their supporting tour and the top-grossing World Tour.
A deluxe version of the album, titled One More Time... Part-2, was released on September 6, 2024.
Background
Blink-182 gained mainstream success with their third album Enema of the State, and continued with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket in 2001 and their untitled album in 2003. During this time, its core members developed considerable discord between each other, with Tom DeLonge at its center. This led to the band's 2005 breakup, which was announced as an indefinite hiatus to the public. Hoppus and Barker continued to collaborate in +44, while DeLonge formed Angels & Airwaves and had cut all ties with his former bandmates until 2008, when Barker was involved in a plane crash of which he was one of two survivors. Ultimately, the trio decided they still wanted to make music together, and announced their return the following year. During this time, the band released Neighborhoods in 2011, and an EP titled Dogs Eating Dogs in 2012. At the same time, DeLonge became more invested in non-musical activities, mostly related to his passion for UFOs and conspiracy theories. This halted the band's activities, and created more tension between the trio, eventually leading to his second departure from the group in 2015.
Rather than breaking up again, Hoppus and Barker enlisted Alkaline Trio singer and guitarist Matt Skiba to fill DeLonge's place. This iteration of the band proved more active, releasing California in 2016, which gave them their second no. 1 album since 2001, and Nine in 2019, and touring extensively in support of both releases. Meanwhile, DeLonge invested his time in his company, To the Stars, and Angels & Airwaves, but soon repaired his relationship with Barker. The two would also discuss when DeLonge could return to the band, but Hoppus, still holding some grievances, was uncertain. When DeLonge publicly discussed rejoining, it was not uncommon for Hoppus to deny the possibility. This changed in 2021 though when Hoppus was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma. According to Hoppus, DeLonge was one of the most supportive people during his chemotherapy, with the two speaking frequently up until Hoppus was declared cancer-free later that year.
Hoppus and DeLonge's reconnection prompted a secret meeting between them and Barker to reconvene and overcome old disputes. Soon after, they felt the time was right for DeLonge to rejoin the band. Skiba was unaware of DeLonge's return until it was publicly announced in 2022, though he had begun to question whether he was still in the band. Despite this, he showed both excitement and gratitude for the trio, and thanked fans for his time in the band. DeLonge reciprocated by privately reaching out to Skiba on social media to thank him for his time with the band.
Writing and recording One More Time... was recorded over a period of eighteen months in 2022 and 2023 partly at the band members' respective home studios, and mainly at Barker's studio, The Waiting Room. Barker had purchased this new studio space, in Woodland Hills, California, in 2020, which is where the trio most frequently convened. The complex's white-walled aesthetic led DeLonge and Hoppus to joke it looked like a "punk rock day spa". The band would meet "every other week" for three days at a time for writing sessions and tracking. Afterwards, the members would return to their home studios to further write and complete recording their parts. Much of the early recording was kept secret from the public, as the members wanted to approach DeLonge's return cautiously. Early recording was also stinted by Hoppus' cancer recovery, as chemotherapy had severely damaged both his body and vocal chords. The band first met as Hoppus was completing his final round of chemotherapy. According to Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman, the band initially progressed slowly, as "it took Hoppus a minute to trust their latest reconciliation [...] after years of DeLonge's inconsistency."
One More Time... also marks their first album to be entirely produced by Barker. Prior to the album, Barker had produced a few of the band's previous songs and worked with a few other artists, most notably with Machine Gun Kelly's Tickets to My Downfall (2020). He initially was reticent to broach the subject between the three—"it was a sensitive subject," he confessed in the interview with Kaufman—but simply took control of the process when the rest of the band left for the day, arranging and piecing together songs digitally. All of the guitars were recorded with Fractal's Axe-Fx processor, eliminating the lengthy time needed to solidify guitar tones. Engineer Aaron Rubin used this as a way of mitigating DeLonge's frequent tendency to re-write. Likewise, many of the songs utilize Barker's preset templates and digital plugins he had used at the Waiting Room for other artists. For One More Time..., Barker found himself "taking myself out of being in the band, and being a fan" in a way to help build the songs the way he wanted them to sound. Barker often thought back to their old producer, Jerry Finn, and what he would have done if he were still their producer. In response to a fan question following the album's release, Barker also stated that he would've dedicated the album in memory of Finn. Songs "Anthem Part 3" addresses complacency and encourages self-improvement; with its staccato opening and title, it serves as a sequel in its series. "Dance with Me" is set on a dance floor, and features a prominent "olé olé olé" hook. Barker was meticulous in devising what meter to set the song at, and settled on an uptempo groove he felt maximized its danceability. "Fell in Love" interpolates The Cure classic "Close to Me" and recounts a drunken meeting at a party. "Terrified" originated as a demo between DeLonge and Barker before the band reformed; they felt it was an extension of the style they explored on Box Car Racer.
The acoustic title track softly reflects on the band's history and questions why it requires tragedies to prompt reconciliation. As the song climaxes, the band's three members—Barker included, in a rare vocal spot—sing the song's refrain. "More Than You Know" opens with a despondent piano piece but grows in energy and pace; its unconventional chorus repeats "I don't feel pain, but I feel more than you'd ever know." Barker utilizes a double kick drum—typically used in metal—for the first time on each chorus, which adds to the aggression. "Turn This Off!" is a brief, off-color joke song, while "When We Were Young" salutes growing up. "Edging" is a bright, mid-tempo track that was the first song the band released for the album: "I wanted to imagine as a listener what I wanted to experience and at the same time as a band member what we wanted to make and say, and most importantly how it would sound production-wise in 2022," Barker said.
"You Don't Know What You've Got" directly chronicles Hoppus' battle with cancer. "Blink Wave" embraces new wave keyboards and synthesizers, while "Bad News" is a brisk, bitter missive to a relationship gone sour. "Turpentine" uses unrelated concepts, both comical and serious, to explore emptiness: "What if I'm not like the others? / A broken man, a Frankenstein," DeLonge sings. "Fuck Face" is a tribute to hardcore punk that was initially an unrelated demo Barker recorded for fun with longtime collaborator Tim Armstrong. "Other Side" is a tribute to Robert Ortiz, Hoppus' longtime bass technician, who died in 2021. "Childhood" compares the old and young by asking when a youthful sense of the world goes missing. Its outro infuses chiptune with a drum solo.
Artwork The album's artwork consists of black-and-white portraits of the three band members on a brick wall. From left to right on the wall is Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker, and Mark Hoppus. When the album was announced, the artwork was not released with it. Up until a few days before its release, a placeholder cover was used on digital services, with "this is not our album cover" displayed in all caps. Barker came up with the idea, inspired by Japanese clothing brand Number (N)ine. The full cover was not revealed until two days before its release. Physical editions retain the secondary artwork illustrated by designer Eric Haze.
Composition Tom Walsh of Punktastic described One More Time... as a "genuinely good punk rock record", helping to appeal to more hardcore fans. Maya Georgi of Rolling Stone felt a similar sentiment, stating that the band is "at their best when they are channeling punk-rock energy" on the album. Matt Dunn of Ultimate Guitar said the album "perfectly coincides with the revival of pop punk".
Release The album's promotional cycle began with the announcement of the band's next world tour, as well as their reunion with DeLonge. News of his return had swirled in fan communities for months, but was officially announced on October 11, 2022, alongside the news that a new album was in the works. Later that week, the album's first single, "Edging", was also released, and pre-order sales for vinyl variants of the album also went up, though the LP lacked a title or release date. Due to the nature of DeLonge's return, the LP was considered to be greatly anticipated. The band did not conduct a traditional press tour for the album; their hour-length interview with radio host Zane Lowe was intended to be their only statement about the record.
In the lead-up to release, posters emblazoned with the album's title and the band's logo were plastered on walls in major cities across different countries in September 2023, including New York City, Toronto, Chicago, Sydney, Berlin, and more. The group's official site was updated with a "stall" page—a visual of a graffiti-tagged bathroom, with a digital clock icon counting down to the release of the album's second single. On September 18, the album's title was officially announced, as well as its release date. Later that week, the album's title track and "More Than You Know" were released. Three additional singles saw release prior to the album: "Dance with Me", "Fell in Love", and "You Don't Know What You've Got". After the album's initial bow, the band released a digital-exclusive expanded edition, adding two bonus tracks to the album titled "Cut Me Off" and "See You".