SPIN.com
September 7, 2011
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The first time Blink-182 revealed a new song this summer, it had taken eight years. Now the MP3s are arriving as fast and furious as the Southern California band's melodic brand of pop-punk. Blink has unveiled "After Midnight," the latest taste of their fall album, Neighborhoods. Check it out below.
Hear It: Blink-182: "After Midnight"
As KROQ reports, Blink posted an online game yesterday that allows winners to download the new song for free, and while their server eventually reportedly ground to a halt, it's now active again. Consequence of Sound also grabbed the MP3.
Blessedly, "After Midnight" has nothing to do with the laid-back J.J. Cale boogie of the same title, made famous in the 1970s by Eric Clapton. Instead, it's a bittersweet midtempo rocker, and the most contemplative of the new songs Blink has unveiled so far. "These nights go on and on," goes the chorus, perfect for bored teenagers shouting outside car windows. Think less "What's My Age Again?," more "Dammit," only mellow enough for a world where Jimmy Eat World already had hits.
In July, Blink returned with "Up All Night," the first new song since their self-titled 2003 album. "Heart's All Gone," which showed a different aspect of the band's style, came not long after. "We've all learned a lot in our respective careers during that eight-year hiatus and it wouldn't be genuine or sincere to not bring it in," guitarist-vocalist Tom DeLonge told SPIN last month. "So I think you hear all of it. If you look at the two songs we've released, everything fits between those two compositions."
Blink are currently on tour with My Chemical Romance, who just switched drummers. Read our review of their tour opener in Holmdel, NJ.
