Blink 182
Dogs Eating Dogs
Self-released (2012)
Score: 8/10
If I were 14 today, and Dogs Eating Dogs was the first Blink-182 album I ever heard, I’d be pretty excited. As an adult, I see this latest five-song collection as the band steering their pop punk conception into a trend balancing, very modern sound. Independently produced, rife with synthesized instrumental tones and layered ingenuity, the guys have put together a new version of their now classic sound.
Kicking off with a true “turn it up” intro, “When I Was Young” subtly starts quiet and builds into a snappy, true-to-form pace. Timing changes and solid vocals provide an even, well-produced sound, soon spanning the entire album. “Dogs Eating Dogs” is a comfortable track, giving you exactly what you’d expect, and nothing more.
With a hint of electronic drum sounds, “Disaster” sounds like an 80s cover, immediately before you realize that it is an original, heavily influenced by electro-pop. It’s bolder than it is fun, adding edge to Blink’s typically “bounce in your seat” sound. By track four, “Boxing Day,” we’re ready for an acoustic cool down. With a big feel and a tasteful progression, this track adds a bit of character. “Pretty Little Girl” includes some interesting effects, but holds itself true and makes its point that Blink-182 is doing their own thing going forward and will push it a bit when given the chance.
The pride of Dogs Eating Dogs has to be its rounded sound. It’s sharp and clean, allowing the pop-punkiness to breathe a little. Blink-182 may be a band you forgot about, but you can safely pick them up again today. It’s not as consistently silly as you may expect, but a return to the shadow area they used to only touch in, of honest, illustrative songs.
-Mike Law
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