Blink-182 announced the release of their ninth studio album on Monday.
The pop-punk trio, which reunited last year with the return of guitarist and singer Tom DeLonge, released a trailer for the upcoming LP One More Time… featuring clips from an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe.
The upcoming album, which will be released on October 20, is the first to feature the best-known lineup of the band since 2011’s Neighborhoods.
In the trailer, DeLonge joined his bandmates and longtime Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus as they discussed coming together in the wake of Hoppus’ cancer diagnosis.
The bassist and vocalist announced nearly two years ago that he was now cancer-free after undergoing chemotherapy.
Back for more! Blink-182 announced on Monday via a trailer featuring an interview with Zane Lowe that the group was releasing their ninth studio album One More Time… on October 20
Feeling for a friend: In the trailer, returning guitarist Tom DeLonge admitted that his love for bassist Mark Hoppus made him want to make music with him and Travis Barker again after he learned of Hoppus’ cancer diagnosis
The trailer goes back to the beginning with behind-the-scenes footage of the rockers in their early days as they partied and played shows for a growing fanbase.
‘The thing you need to understand about Blink-182 is that we didn’t come out of joyous homes,’ he said. ‘We came from a lot of heartbreak, broken homes, fist fights. So Blink was always a way to force the happiness in the room.’
Hoppus jumped in to praise Barker, who joined the band later on, for blowing up the band’s profile ‘sky high.’
But then he told Zane about a darker period in the band’s history when DeLonge quit the group in 2015 to focus on solo projects and investigating conspiracy theories about aliens.
Hoppus said there was ‘bad blood’ between the three and he described receiving a blunt email saying that DeLonge had stopped working on recording as he abruptly departed the group.
‘Quite frankly, a lot of people thought you left Blink-182 to become professionally crazy,’ Lowe said, referencing DeLonge’s much-mocked interest in UFOs.
‘I found myself in these weird oceans that I didn’t really know how to navigate,’ DeLonge said, even though he claimed he didn’t want to ‘hold back’ his former bandmates.
Hoppus was event blunter, saying his attitude at the time was ‘f*** Tom DeLonge.’
‘The thing you need to understand about Blink-182 is that we didn’t come out of joyous homes,’ DeLonge said of the band’s early days. ‘We came from a lot of heartbreak, broken homes, fist fights. So Blink was always a way to force the happiness in the room’
New level: Hoppus jumped in to praise Barker, who joined the band later on, for blowing up the band’s profile ‘sky high’
He’s out: DeLonge quit in 2015 to focus on solo projects and his interest in UFO’s and conspiracy theories
‘Quite frankly, a lot of people thought you left Blink-182 to become professionally crazy,’ Lowe said, referencing DeLonge’s much-mocked interest in UFOs
Struggling: Hoppus said he felt like a ‘hollow shell’ after he went through chemotherapy treatments for his cancer, and he felt like his brain had been ‘eaten’ by the mental fog the drugs caused
DeLonge added that he wasn’t sure if he would ever tour again, but after he learned that Hoppus had cancer, playing with his old band was ‘the only thing I wanted to do.’
Hoppus said he felt like a ‘hollow shell’ after he went through chemotherapy treatments for his cancer, and he felt like his brain had been ‘eaten’ by the mental fog the drugs caused.
The trailer then played a clip of the title track One More Time, which referenced both Hoppus’ illness and Travis Barker’s 2008 plane crash, of which he and his friend DJ AM were the only survivors, while the four other people aboard were killed.
The crash left Barker with burns over 65 percent of his body and a years-long fear of flying, which prevented him from getting on a plane for 13 years after the horrifying crash.
It was until 2021 that he finally flew on a plane again, and he credited his now-wife Kourtney Kardashian with giving him the strength to conquer his fears when she accompanied him on a private jet flight.
He revealed back in July that he has subsequently flown dozens of times since that return to the skies.
Looking back on Hoppus’ cancer, DeLonge said that ‘nothing matters’ compared to his friends’ health and their relationship.
Barker said that the title song investigated why it took the group’s dual tragedies to help them ‘get back together.’
‘I always knew that the brotherhood wouldn’t ever deteriorate or wouldn’t ever not be there,’ he added. ‘I really feel like Blink is us three, and as soon as we accept that and don’t settle for anything less than that, I just think that’s the future.’
DeLonge said that the reunion wasn’t about money, but about helping the group move on from their tragedies and strengthen their bond.
‘I’m so sick of hearing Tom’s positive s***,’ Hoppus jokingly replied.
However, he got serious when he said chemotherapy had ‘wrecked’ his vocal chords, requiring him to work with a vocal coach to allow him to return to performing publicly.
With a little from his friends: Looking back on Hoppus’ cancer, DeLonge said that ‘nothing matters’ compared to his friends’ health and their relationship
Thumbs up: Hoppus added that he hoped their new album was one of the best, and Lowe interjected with ‘It’s the best album you’ve ever made!’
Coming soon: One More Time… will be released on October 20
‘When it’s the three of us on stage, I feel unstoppable,’ he boasted.
Hoppus added that he hoped their new album was one of the best, and Lowe interjected with ‘It’s the best album you’ve ever made!’
The bass player concluded by saying that touring with his old bandmates made him so emotional that he cried on stage practically every night of their ongoing tour.
One More Time… will be released on October 20.
