blink-182 in Bloomington, MN

There comes a time in every punk's life where he or she has to grow up, or at least acknowledge that maturity is just around the corner.
blink-182
put it off for as long as they could, but ten years into their career and two albums after their big breakthrough, 1999's
Enema of the State
, they decided to make a stab at being grown-ups for their eponymous sixth studio album. As with many self-titled albums, the trio uses this as an attempt to redefine itself, and they have considerably expanded both their sonic template and lyrical outlook on
. They're still rooted in
punk-pop
, but even songs that stretch no further than that sound are a little darker, a little restless, reflecting the overall mood of the record. In shorthand, this is the record where
delve into
post-punk
, opting for some appealingly sullen moodiness, off-kilter hooks, lots of sonic textures, and even a duet with
the Cure
's
Robert Smith
. Since the trio is an inherently catchy group, this is a far cry from neo-
groups like
Interpol
or even the dynamically hooky
Hot Hot Heat
, but there is a greater variety of sounds on
than on any of the trio's other albums, and the songwriting is similarly adventurous, alternating punchy, impassioned
with weirder, atmospheric pieces like
"Down"
and
"I'm Lost Without You."
If nothing on the album has the immediate impact of
"All the Small Things"
-- though the opener,
"Feeling This,"
comes close -- and if, on the whole,
isn't as bracing or visceral as
Dude Ranch
or
Enema
, so be it: there's more to explore on this album than any of their other records. It's an unexpected and welcome maturation from a band that just an album ago seemed permanently stuck in juvenilia. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine