[World Premiere] Blink-182 ‘Neighborhoods’ Full Album Stream And Review

UPDATE: Unfortunately we’ve been caught in an internal battle between departments within Blink-182′s record label, and have been asked to suspend our Neighborhoods full album stream.

The internet was hit with a leaked copy of Blink-182‘s new forthcoming album, Neighborhoods, which is due out September 27th. As we all know, when something big like this gets leaked, it spreads like wildfire – and that wildfire happened to spread all the way to our desks here at KROQ.com, where a copy of the new album found it’s way into our stereo and has been blasting non-stop.

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The band has definitely matured, which is evident in not only their music, but their lyrics as well. No more singing about farts and BJ’s, but mainly the frustrations of love and life that can transcend any generation of Blink-182 fans. They’ve dealt with adversity and overcame their own internal problems to produce one of their best albums to date. If their performance at Epicenter Twenty-Ten wasn’t indication that these guys are back and better than ever, then check them out while they’re out on the Honda Civic Tour – which hits LA and OC in the beginning of October.

After the jump, listen to each song and see our track-by-track review of the the new album Neighborhoods.

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TRACK-BY-TRACK STREAM & REVIEW

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1. “Ghost On The Dance Floor”

The track opens up with the familiar sounds of Travis Barker’s drums, followed by some synthesizers mixed with a catchy riff courtesy of DeLonge. The opening line has a familiar ring to it (reminded me of Boxcar Racer’s “There Is”) but quickly ditches any Boxcar affiliation as Mark Hoppus’ harmonies infiltrate the track – even though that’s all the singing Hoppus does in this song.

Compared to the rest of the album, this track is pretty musically tame. Barker doesn’t unleash like he does on some of the following tracks, and the guitar riff stays the same pretty much all the way through. The breakdown towards the end of the song is the only exception, but even that is fairly short-lived. Overall a decent track and good selection as an opening song.

2. “Natives”

The intro to this song immediately reminds me of old school Blink, similar to their old hit “M&M’s,” returning to their classic pop-punk sound. DeLonge sings the first verse, with Hoppus coming in for the chorus. The lyrics in the chorus are pretty sad, with lines like “…we’ll have the time of our lives, although we’re dying inside” and “…just let me go, go, I’m never coming home.”

Barker let’s loose a little in this song too, changing up the style and patterns frequently. It’s a good song and the lyrical repetition will keep this one stuck in your head all day.

3. “Up All Night”

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The first single from the track, “Up All Night” shows Blink’s maturity and is the first song on the album where Hoppus and DeLonge alternate singing. This song really grew on me the more I listened to it, as I’m sure it did for many people. Barker does a great job bringing the sound together with his drums, with a crazy part in the beginning where the cymbals rule and continuing that trend throughout the song.

I really like the diversity in this song. The breakdown at the end is my favorite part of the song because I feel like when you see it performed live, this is the part where everyone will just be going nuts.

4. “After Midnight”

The way Travis uses his high-hats in this song is ridiculous. Tom’s lyrics again sound sad, with heartache as an apparent underlying theme. The chorus is once again sang by Hoppus, with DeLonge handling the verses. The syncopation throughout the song definitely leaves an impression in your memory.

The songs ends with a feeling of hope, as the music brightens up a bit as Hoppus gets into the final chorus of the song. They did a good job of conveying their emotions through their sound on this song.