[TuneOTD] Blink-182 - AFTER MIDNIGHT

Artist: Blink-182

Genre: Punk/Rock/Progressive
Location: San Diego, CA.
Label Type: Major/Indie
Record Label: Geffen/Interscope Records 

Website: http://www.blink182.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/blink182

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/blink182

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/blink182

Blink-182 are back having recently released their third single since their much publicised comeback into the music industry. Their new single, ‘After Midnight’ follows recent releases ‘Up All Night’ and ‘Heart’s All Gone’. The latter of the three, (and possibly the pick of the three) will only be on the 13-track expanded edition of the eagerly anticipated new album, ‘Neighborhoods’, whereas the other two will make an appearance along with 8 others on the standard edition scheduled for release on September 27^th. It will be the first alubm since the self-titled album in 2003. Furthermore, the track-listing has already been pencilled in for the band’s sixth full-length studio album, which you can see here. The album was originally expected to be released in the summer of 2010 but they failed to meet the deadlines in order for this to happen, which subsequently resulted in a postponement of the 2011 European Tour. In fact it was revealed by Mark Hoppus that this postponement was what sparked the inspiration for writing today’s ‘Tune of the Day’.

So, on to the single itself. Well, on ‘After Midnight’ you can clearly identify the influences that each member has taken from previous bands Angels & Airwaves, +44 and Box Car Racer. The song is a far cry away from the fast-paced ferocious punk rock that one would associate with the name, Blink-182. Rather it is slower, more mellow, and in all honesty, a bit bland. Perhaps age is catching up with the trio, or maybe this is signs of maturity. It is now more an exhibition of progressive rock incorporating traits of an anthemic tune, one not too dissimilar to the likes of 2004’s ‘Always’. The track integrates the romantic verses of Tom DeLonge and the carefree chorus of Mark Hoppus, whilst Travis Barker is faultless on the drums as ever. However, with the chorus being so carefree it spills over into being lazy and lackadaisical at times, resulting in quite a weak effort. 

The meaning behind the track is difficult to distinguish given the timing of the writing of the track and the lyrics for it. However, one thing you can conclude is that there has been no passion lost in their song-writing over the last 8 years. With each song they release, they illustrate alternate angles and different versions of each of their lives, as well as an additional perspective of their lives as a single unit. 

In terms of distribution for this track, the band have decided to make a game of it offering a free download of the song as a reward for completion of the mini-game. This is a nice creative touch of innovation which you can see for yourself here.

Below is the official video for the song. Enjoy!

Matthew Evans