The Punk Site 2023 Top 40: #6 Blink-182 – One More Time

At number 6 in The Punk Site’s 2023 Top 40 are Blink-182 with One More Time that was released in October via Columbia Records, marking the only major label entry in our countdown. It’s appropriate that they’re in this years chart as The Punk Site‘s founder, Bobby Gorman, explains; “The history of ThePunkSite.com will always be intertwined with that of Blink-182, at least in my mind. As with many people my age, I was led into the punk rock world through the pop-punk stylings of the San Diego three piece. I was just one of millions dorky fans bouncing around to Enema of the State and Take off Your Pants and Jacket.”

“Unlike many of those young teenagers, I put my love for the band to work and started a Blink-182 fan site. Teaching myself how to code, I devoured everything the band offered and broadened my musical horizons as I began listening to more pop-punk , punk, ska and alternative music. But Blink-182 was always the gateway band. Then, on October 1st, 2003 – I launched ThePunkSite.com.”

“The 20th anniversary of the site silently passed by this year and when I step back and think about it, I’m astonished that I’ve had this site for 57% of my life span. And it all started with Blink-182; so please excuse me for fan boying over the fact that three weeks later they released One More Time… – the triumphant return of Mark, Tom and Travis.”

“I won’t say it’s a perfect album. There’s a few songs that fly under the radar and Childhood is a weak song to end the album on in my humble opinion; but when they hit, the songs hit hard. Yes, there’s the acoustic, nostalgia-soaked One More Time that gives shivers to any long-running fan of the band; but there’s much more than that. Anthem Part 3 kicks off the album and ends the trilogy with power and angst. Dance With Me can sit on repeat for hours and also came with a fantastic Ramones tribute video. Turn This Off and Fuck Face are fierce 30-second bangers that are both comedic and angry. Edging harkens back to the Take Off Your Pants and Jacket phase while When We Were Young would fit on Untitled if it wasn’t written about the times back then. The unreleased Box Car Racer song Terrified made its way onto the album and the two bonus digital songs Cut Me Off and See You have a bouncy fun energy to them. And that’s only a handful of the songs on the 19 track album.”

“When they released Edging late last year, I was excited and I knew Blink 182 would be back. With One More Time… they are. And yes, maybe it’s the nostalgia and emotional pull that’s wrapping me in the album; but music is supposed to be emotional. It’s been twenty years since I expanded from just being a Blink-182 fan site to launching a site that covers the entire genre – the fact that I’m still able to get new Blink-182 songs so many years later fills me with joy. Here’s to twenty more.”