Nine

by blink-182

Overview

Awash in a neon rainbow and increasingly pop-leaning production, blink-182's aptly named Nine proves that looks can be deceiving. Despite the colorful album cover, this is one of blink's darkest albums to date. Depression, self-doubt, fear, and frustration lurk beneath the trio's trademark sound and, upon closer inspection of the lyrics, Nine's loudness and energy become better suited for catharsis and bloodletting than simple pop-punk rollicking and mischief. When frontman Mark Hoppus cries "I wanna feel happy days" on the deceptively titled "Happy Days," it's just one of many moments on Nine where his struggles with mental health are brought to the fore. Gone are the scatological and lowbrow humor of past blink efforts, pushing the band into more emotionally fraught territory than their usual joke-loving, breezy pop-punk wheelhouse. In addition to the obvious ("On Some Emo Shit"), Hoppus, Matt Skiba, and Travis Barker also tackle the mass shooting crisis in the U.S. ("Heaven"), alcoholism ("Hungover You"), and church abuses ("Black Rain"). Indeed, the most shocking aspect about Nine is that the boys in blink have finally matched the maturity of their musical output with their ages and life experiences. This change allows for a more satisfying experience, one that reveals itself best in the more pensive moments. Additional highlights include the driving "Darkside," the twin punk blasts of "Generational Divide" and "Ransom," and the urgent "No Heart to Speak Of," which boasts an impassioned vocal performance by Skiba. While Nine is by no means a dour emo record, it carries enough emotional heft to elevate it as one of blink-182's strongest late-era efforts, one that matures the typical blink sound with its commitment to vulnerability and honesty. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Product Details

Release Date:	09/20/2019
Label:	Columbia / Sony Music
UPC:	0190759632314

Tracks

1. The First Time
2. Happy Days
3. Heaven
4. Darkside
5. Blame It On My Youth
6. Generational Divide
7. Run Away
8. Black Rain
9. I Really Wish I Hated You
10. Pin the Grenade
11. No Heart To Speak Of
12. Ransom
13. On Some Emo Shit
14. Hungover You
15. Remember To Forget Me

Album Credits

Performance Credits

blink-182   Primary Artist
John Feldmann   Guitar
Mark Hoppus   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Matt Skiba   Guitar,Vocals
Travis Barker   Drums,Piano
Sam Hollander   Vocals (Background)
Tim Pagnotta   Vocals (Background)
Happy Perez   Guitar
Brian Phillips   Vocals (Background)
Andrew Watt   Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Serban Ghenea   Mixing
The Futuristics   Additional Production
Ian Walsh   Programming,Digital Editing
Chris Athens   Mastering
John Feldmann   Composer,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
John Hanes   Engineer
Mark Hoppus   Composer
Matt Skiba   Composer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
Travis Barker   Composer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming
Sam Hollander   Composer
Scot Stewart   Mixing,Engineer
Rich Costey   Mixing
Neal Avron   Mixing
Nathan Perez   Composer
Tim Pagnotta   Composer,Producer
Chris Galland   Mixing Engineer
David Kutch   Mastering
Chris Feldmann   Design,Art Direction
Jeremy "J Boogs" Levin   Production Coordination
Ryan McMahon   Composer
Happy Perez   Programming,Instrumentation,Additional Production
Zvi Edelman   Production Coordination
Sacha Waldman   Photography
Andrew Luftman   Production Coordination
John Mitchell   Composer
Ryan Rabin   Composer
Brian Phillips   Engineer,Programming,Additional Production
Alex Schwartz   Composer
Sarah Shelton   Production Coordination
Matt Malpass   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Additional Production
JP Clark   Composer
Ali Tamposi   Composer
Joe Khajadourian   Composer
David Silberstein   Production Coordination
Dylan McLean   Mixing,Engineer
Benjamin Berger   Composer
Jaramye Daniels   Composer
Chris Greatti   Composer
Andrew Watt   Composer,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
Greg Johnson   A&R,Supervisor
Robin Florent   Assistant
Zakk Cervini   Mixing
Jim Lavigne   Composer
Jake Torrey   Composer
KT Pipal   Mixing
Scott Desmarais   Assistant
Michael Bono   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Samantha Corrie Schulman   Production Coordination
Drew Salamunovich   Production Coordination
Nik Tretiakov   Mixing Assistant
Mark Rubbo   Design