Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge on New Album: ‘We Have a Tremendous, Diverse Palette’

California punk-pop guys Blink-182 are back on Sept. 27 with ‘Neighborhoods,’ their first album of original material since 2003’s self-titled release.

What to expect from the new tracks? According to singer and guitarist Tom DeLonge, the new album brings “a lot of new elements,” plus some of the original flavor of Blink-182.

“… We have these songs that are total throwbacks — I mean, exactly what people would know of what Blink is, you know. But then we have these songs that are madly different and experimental. And then we have songs that are like prog- rock Blink,” DeLonge told the Toronto Sun. “So, I really think that we have a tremendous, diverse palette on this. And what’s really cool… is because of the way it was recorded, all the songs sound so different from each other.”

DeLonge added that getting back together with bass player Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker after six years apart felt surprisingly natural.

“…I remember the very first time we played when we got back together and it made me feel exactly the same way I feel the hour before we go on stage,” he said. “Before I go on stage… I always have this very specific hour where I blast music and I listen to old punk rock music that I listened to in junior high and high school. And when I listen to those old punk bands, it gets me so excited because the whole idea is that it makes me feel the way I felt when I started playing guitar, and my whole reason for wanting to break out of suburbia and go do something bigger. When we start playing the Blink songs, I totally feel that same way...”

Adding to the conversation, Hoppus’ advice for budding musicians is pretty bleak.

“Don’t try; no hope. No. It’s very difficult,” he said. “It’s gotten — I used to think that it was really hard back in the day for small bands to break because of this big huge major-label institution that you had to become part of. I think it’s actually harder now.”