The Rise And Fall And Rise Of Blink-182

"Tom. Is. Out." That was the email sent from Tom Delonge's manager to his fellow Blink-182 band members at the end of 2014 , just a week before they were set to finally get in the studio together to record a new album. For the second time in ten years, the co-founding member of the seminal punk group had split, leaving fans to assume this really was the end. But now, over a year later, the San Diego-founded group are set to release their seventh studio album, California; the first record without Delonge and the first to feature new recruit and Alkaline Trio frontman, Matt Skiba.

"Everybody in the band is really happy, everybody is really proud of the album, everybody is excited to play music," Hoppus says.

"When we were recording the album, we were so stoked on the recording process and the songwriting process and everybody's enthusiasm and everybody having ideas and pitching in. All hands were on deck. I couldn't have asked for a better writing process."

Following Delonge's departure in January last year, Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker had to make a big decision about the future of Blink-182. With a show already booked for March, they made the call to bring in Skiba (a friend from way back) simply to honour their commitment to the gig. The response by fans at the show was enough for Hoppus and Barker to decide that the future of the band included Skiba.

"It was really Skiba or no one else, he was the only one that we talked about," Hoppus explains.

"It was really Skiba or no one else, he was the only one that we talked about."

"He has such a great voice and such a great temperament and so talented and such a great guitarist that it just seemed like the perfect fit from the first time that we even started talking about it. Matt was very gracious to fill in with those shows and it just meshed immediately."

The three got in the studio earlier this year with renowned punk producer John Feldmann and the result is an album that emphasises what Blink-182 is all about - fast, catchy, punk music. Hoppus agrees that California could fit perfectly between the band's 2001 album Take Off Your Pants & Jacket and their career-defining untitled record released in 2003.

"I think that's a fair assessment," Hoppus says.

"I think that [California] really goes back to all the stuff that we love about Blink-182 and have been trying to do for the past ten years. I think that it pulls from old Blink, I think it pushes Blink forward. I think that's probably the best assessment of where it should sit in the timeline."

Hoppus, Barker and Delonge all agree that untitled is their best work, but the 44-year-old bassist believes California "stands even" with the acclaimed work.

"Untitled I'm really proud of because we pushed ourselves to be different and pushed ourselves to do different ideas and this one I feel we did the same thing. But we also went back to what Blink is all about.

"I hold these records with equal pride, I think."

In the last year, Delonge has been adamant that he never quit the band and even denied a press release sent from the Blink camp announcing his departure was true. Since then, the Angels & Airwaves singer has diverted his focus to his multimedia company To The Stars. Shortly after Skiba's inclusion in the band was confirmed, Delonge released a statement hinting that he does have a future in Blink-182. Most recently, he announced that he has rekindled his friendship with Barker and has even suggested that they are talking about recording and touring together. Hoppus claims this is all news to him.

"I don't know what [Delonge] is talking about because I haven't spoken with him at all about recording and touring," Hoppus says.

"I've spoken with Tom one time since 2014 and it was totally genial enough and it was fine. But it's not something that we're even talking about."

Outside of Blink-182, Hoppus keeps himself busy with several projects. Not only does he run his own clothing line, Hi My Name Is Mark, but has also produced albums for a number of fellow punk acts including Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Motion City Soundtrack and Paws.

"I don't know what [Delonge] is talking about because I haven't spoken with him at all about recording and touring."

From 2010-2012, Hoppus starred on his own music talk show Hoppus On Music, which also featured comedian Amy Schumer who has since gone on to become one of the biggest stand-up acts in the world. He laughs at the suggestion his show put her on the map.

"Amy is deserving of all the success that she has. She's so talented and so funny and so smart that it would be stupid of me to take any credit for her success," he says.

"She blessed my TV show with her talent, so you know, she's great.

"In the future, I'm open to a bunch of different ideas, but right now everything is focused on Blink. I have my clothing line that I run and I do the podcast when we have time to do it. I look forward to doing other producing and songwriting stuff outside of Blink-182, but this is really my focus and my passion and what I love to do with my time."

Blink have just kicked off a US tour in support of the new album and while he hopes to come to Australia in the near future, Hoppus admits that it all comes down to when Barker is ready to board a plane, who has been resistant to fly since a fatal plane crash in 2008 that killed four passengers and left Barker with burns to 65% of his body.

"We are looking into and Travis is looking into the possibility of taking a boat from LA to Australia, which is a very long trip, but it's something that we are looking into," Hoppus says.  "Hopefully we can make it work."

Blink-182 last toured Australia in 2013 and though only he and Delonge took the flight over (with fill in drummer Brooks Wackerman), Hoppus says it would be unlikely that could happen again.

"I don't know, because that was a very unique case where, you know, where Travis was hoping to get on the plane and obviously as it got close to be time for the tour he came to Tom and I and said 'Hey, look, I'm not ready to fly' and we totally understood and got Brooks to fill in at the last minute.

"I think booking a tour and planning on having a different drummer might be a little different."

Following their tour plans, Hoppus is adamant that the band will get straight back in the studio to make up for lost time, given that California is the band's first album since 2011.

"I think the idea would be to get back in and record more, yeah, for sure," he says.

"That's the process of touring and recording. We want to have music out more often than every five years that's for sure."

Check out our review of California here. 

TIMELINE:

1992: Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus form Blink-182 with Scott Raynor

1995: Band release debut album Cheshire Cat

1998: Travis Barker joins the band following the departure of Raynor

1999: Blink-182 reach global fame with third LP Enema Of The State which sells 15 million copies worldwide

2003: Blink-182 drop the untitled album, considered not only as a turning point for the band musically, but their best work to date.

2005: Blink-182 announce an "indefinite hiatus" after Delonge splits from the group

2009: Blink-182 take to the stage together at the Grammys to announce the band is getting back together

2011: Band release sixth LP Neighbourhoods — their first album since reforming

2015: Blink-182 announce Tom Delonge has left the group for a second time. Matt Skiba joins the band months later

2016: Band to release California - their first in five years and the first to not feature Delonge