Nine (Blink-182 album)
Nine | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 20, 2019 | |||
Recorded | April 2018–June 2019 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 41:40 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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Blink-182 chronology | ||||
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Singles from Nine | ||||
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Nine is the eighth studio album by American
Although Nine is sequentially Blink-182's eighth studio album, Hoppus and Barker consider it their ninth by retroactively counting the band's 1994 demo, Buddha, as their first. Hoppus also cited the significance of the number 9 as "the number of universal love, and the number of Uranus." The color wash album cover was painted by graffiti artist RISK. Much of the album's lyricism is dark in nature and was informed by world events, as well as Hoppus' battle with depression. Musically, the album augments the band's pop-punk sound with hip hop-inspired programming as well as electronics. For Nine, the trio moved from independent service BMG to major label Columbia.
Nine received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented its upgrade to the band's signature sound as well as its moodier lyrical content. It debuted at number three on the
Background
From 2016 to 2018, Blink-182 toured extensively in support of their previous album,
Recording and production
The band first began recording new music in April 2018, with the band members posting photos and videos to their respective social media accounts.[6] The band continued collaborating with producer John Feldmann, as well as recording at their personal home studios. The trio recorded over 30 songs, largely in the same pop-punk vein as California. Midway through the process, the band became concerned the material felt too familiar and predictable. Barker was the first to voice concern, joking that it sounded like California 2: Electric Boogaloo.[7] Hoppus and Skiba concurred, with Skiba later offering that the songs weren't "new or exciting."[7] The band decided to start over, and continued their work with outside songwriters.[8] Hoppus likened the approach to a blind date, as prior to the sessions, the band members and producers/songwriters had yet to meet.[2]
During the recording process for Nine, the band worked with several artists, among them
Composition
Nine is considered a
"It's a really strange time where everyone is on heightened alert," he said. "I wake up and look at Twitter, I get angry, and I start my day. It's unhealthy to live with this level of anger. I have to consciously make an effort to not look at the news a lot of the time and just say, 'Every single day there's some new outrage and a lot of the time it's not worth my time.' [...] The way everything is wired right now — between the news, and Twitter, and social media — everything spins so quickly that there's no time to take a breath."[2]
In addition, world events—
Artwork and title
Barker was in charge of developing the artwork, as he had been on previous releases. He picked from four of his favorite artists, with the renowned graffiti artist RISK delivering the final artwork. His goal as an artist is to evoke emotion with color in an abstract sense, and to achieve this, he often uses the color wash technique.[19] RISK calls this treatment "Beautiful Destruction", and everyone in the band loved his pieces enough to use for the album cover.[20]
While in production, the band often referred to the album with the joke title Bojmir—or
NINE. This is our ninth album, as decided by me and Travis. Some count Buddha, some not. Some count The Mark, Tom and Travis Show. Some count Greatest Hits. Some count Dogs Eating Dogs. I'm counting Buddha, Cheshire Cat, Dude Ranch, Enema of the State, TOYPAJ, Untitled, Neighborhoods, California, and now Nine. Nine is also the number of universal love, and the number of Uranus.[21]
Release
The band announced a
The band started a text messaging newsletter in the days leading up to the release of the "Darkside" single, and has since updated it with previews of songs and links to new videos. The number could also be called to be greeted with a fifteen-second preview of "Darkside" as the answering machine.
The band announced Nine on July 25, 2019.[27]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Consequence of Sound | C[31] |
Exclaim! | 3/10[32] |
Kerrang! | [33] |
NME | [34] |
Pitchfork | 5.2/10[35] |
Rolling Stone | [36] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.6/5[37] |
Nine received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 67 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews" based on ten reviews.[28] AllMusic contributor Neil Z. Yeung considered it one of Blink's "strongest late-era efforts," praising its "commitment to vulnerability and honesty."[29] Nick Catucci of Rolling Stone found it to be an "excellent album," commending the trio's self-awareness and maturity.[36] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic described its sound as "high-grade [and] ultra-processed", albeit "very, very catchy."[38]
Many critics favorably compared Nine to the band's 2003 untitled effort. Ali Shutler of NME called it the "spiritual follow-up" to that LP, and said Nine showcases the band "back at their very best."[34] Tom Shepherd at Kerrang! extolled the material's "rich personality",[33] while Collin Goeman of Alternative Press dubbed it a "pop-punk record for the next generation."[39]
Loudwire named it one of the 50 best rock albums of 2019.[41]
Commercial performance
Nine debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with 94,000 album-equivalent units, including 77,000 pure album sales. To date it has sold over 202,000 copies worldwide and is the band's eighth US top 10 album.[42] Nine debuted at number one on the US Rock Albums, US Alternative Albums, US Tastemakers Albums and US Vinyl Albums.
Track listing
Adapted from ASCAP and Apple Music.[43][44]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The First Time" |
| Hoppus | 3:11 |
10. | "Pin the Grenade" |
|
| 2:59 |
11. | "No Heart to Speak Of" |
|
| 3:40 |
12. | "Ransom" |
|
| 1:25 |
13. | "On Some Emo Shit" |
|
| 3:09 |
14. | "Hungover You" |
|
| 2:58 |
15. | "Remember to Forget Me" |
|
| 3:29 |
Total length: | 41:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
16. | "Out of My Head" |
|
| 2:23 |
Total length: | 44:03 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[46]
Blink-182
- Mark Hoppus – vocals, bass
- programming and piano (3, 11, 14–15), producer(13)
- Matt Skiba – vocals, guitars
Additional musicians
- Alex Schwartz – songwriting (10), additional production (13)
- Ali Tamposi – songwriting (9)
- Andrew Watt – producer (9), songwriting (9), instrumentation and programming (9), guitar (9), vocals (9)
- Benjamin Berger – songwriting (6)
- Brian Phillips – additional production and engineering (5), gang vocals (5)
- Chris Greatti – songwriting (3)
- Happy Perez – additional production (9), instrumentation and programming (9), guitar (9)
- Ian Walsh – programming and digital editing (5)
- Jake Torrey – songwriting (10)
- Jaramye Daniels – songwriting (15)
- Jim Lavigne – songwriting (1, 14)
- Joe Khajadourian – songwriting (10), additional production (13)
- John Mitchell – songwriting (1, 7, 14)
- JP Clark – songwriting (15)
- Matt Malpass – producer (13), songwriting (2, 5, 11), additional production and engineering (5)
- Ryan McMahon – songwriting (6)
- Ryan Rabin – songwriting (6)
- Sam Hollander – songwriting (2, 5), gang vocals (5)
Design
- Chris Feldmann – art direction, design
- Mark Rubbo – CGI and neon design
- RISK – mural, track listing titles
- Sacha Waldman – mural photography
Production
- Allison McGregor – booking
- Andrew "Schwifty" Luftman – production coordinator (9)
- Anna Maslowitz – publicity (Europe)
- Bo Gardner – business management
- Chris Athens – mastering (1–8, 10–15)
- Chris Galland – mix engineer (5)
- Daniel Jensen – crew
- Darian Polich – crew
- Darryl Eaton – booking
- Dave Kutch – mastering (9)
- David "Dsilb" Silberstein – production coordinator (9)
- Drew "Grey Poupon" Salamunovich – production coordinator (9)
- Dylan McLean – engineer (1, 3–4, 6–15), additional mixing (6, 12)
- Greg Johnson – A&R, album supervisor
- Gus Brandt – management
- Jake Lowry – management
- Jennifer Weisman-Voale – publicity (North America)
- Jeremy "Jboogs" Levin – production coordinator (9)
- John Feldmann – producer and songwriting (1, 3–4, 6–12, 14–15), instrumentation and programming (9), guitar (9)
- John Hanes – mix engineer (9)
- Kevin Wolff – management
- KI Pipal – mixing assistant (6)
- Lawrence Vavra – management
- Leslie Frank – legal
- Lisa Socransky Austin – legal
- Manny Marroquin – mixing (5)
- Michael Bono – assisting recording engineer (3, 7, 10, 14–15)
- Mike Dewdney – booking
- Mo Green – booking
- Neal Avron – mixing (1–3, 8)
- Nik Tretiakov – assistant engineer (12–13)
- Peter Paterno – legal
- Rich Costey – mixing (4, 6–7, 10–11, 14)
- Robert Ortiz – crew
- Robin Florent – assistant engineer (5)
- Samantha Corrie "SamCor" Schulman – production coordinator (9)
- Sarah "Goodie Bag" Shelton – production coordinator (9)
- Scot Stewart – engineer (1, 3–4, 6–15), additional mixing (6, 12)
- Scott Desmarias – assistant (5)
- Serban Ghenea – mixing (9)
- Tim Pagnotta– producer, songwriting (2, 5), gang vocals (5)
- Zakk Cervini – mixing (12–13)
- Zvi "Angry Beard Man" Edelman – production coordinator (9)
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Notes
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b Shaffer, Claire (May 8, 2019). "See Blink-182's Graffitied Lyric Video for New Song 'Blame It On My Youth'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Allen 2019, p. 26.
- ^ Allen, Matt. "How Simple Creatures Saved Mark Hoppus' Life". Kerrang!. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Heinz, Natasha (January 28, 2019). "Mark Hoppus Talks Simple Creatures Influences, Plans to Release Music". Alternative Press. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ "Simple Creatures Announce Debut EP Strange Love; Release Title-Track". Kerrang!. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (April 24, 2018). "Blink-182 Share Snapchats From The Studio, Confirming New Music Is On The Way: 'Day One'". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c Shutler, Ali (October 1, 2019). "Blame It on My Youth". Upset. No. 48. pp. 24–31.
- ^ a b c d Allen 2019, p. 29.
- ^ Trapp, Philip (March 11, 2019). "Blink-182's Next Album Features Pharrell Williams + Will Be Out Before Warped Tour". Loudwire. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ "blink-182's New Album Will Drop Before Warped Tour, Features Pharrell Williams". Kerrang!. March 11, 2019. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c Appleford, Steve (September 11, 2019). "Blink-182 were goof-punks with cute videos. Twenty years later, they're having the last laugh". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Goeman, Collin (September 20, 2019). "blink-182 made 'Nine' a pop-punk record for the next generation - review". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ WALSH, TOM. "BLINK-182 – 'NINE'". Punktastic. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ "5 HUGE POP-PUNK ALBUMS WE CAN EXPECT IN 2019". Kerrang!. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ "Da quando i Blink-182 suonano come gli Imagine Dragons? | Rolling Stone Italia". Rollingstone.it. September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ "Blink-182's latest album is a "NINE" out of nine". The Daily Titan. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ Allaire, Christian (September 20, 2019). "It's 2019. What Does Blink-182 Want to Say?". Vogue. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Allen 2019, p. 30.
- CraveOnline.
- ^ Allen 2019, p. 31.
- ^ "r/Blink182 - meaning behind the album title". reddit. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ^ Shaffer, Claire (May 6, 2019). "Blink-182, Lil Wayne Announce Co-Headlining Summer Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ Aniftos, Rania (June 21, 2019). "Blink-182 Releases 50-Second Single, 'Generational Divide': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Spruch, Kirsten (July 1, 2019). "Blink-182 Long For 'Happy Days' On New Track: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (July 26, 2019). "Blink-182 Happily Plunge Into the 'Darkside' On New Track: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Darus, Alex (August 28, 2019). "blink-182 have a punk-rock pep rally in "Darkside" video". Alternative Press. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ "Blink-182 Announce New Album 'NINE' - Check Out The Tracklist, Cover Art & Release Date - News". Rock Sound. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Nine by Blink-182". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Yeung, Neil Z. "Nine – blink-182". AllMusic. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Goeman, Collin. "Blink-182 Made 'Nine' a Pop-Punk Record for the Next Generation—Review". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ a b Sharples, Grant (September 19, 2019). "Blink-182's NINE Embraces Pop and Mostly Abandons Punk". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ Feibel, Adam. "Blink-182 NINE". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ a b "Album Review: blink-182 – NINE". Kerrang!. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "Blink-182 – 'Nine' review". NME. September 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Smith, Nathan (September 28, 2019). "Blink-182: NINE Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Catucci, Nick (September 20, 2019). "Blink 182 Sound Self-Aware and Mature on 'Nine'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Review: Blink-182 - Nine". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (September 20, 2019). "Blink-182's Secret Seriousness". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- ^ Goeman, Collin (September 20, 2019). "blink-182 made 'NINE' a pop-punk record for the next generation—review". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ Feibel, Adam. "Blink-182 Nine". exclaim.ca. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ "The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2019". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. December 5, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (September 29, 2019). "Post Malone's 'Hollywood's Bleeding' Nets Third Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart; Zac Brown Band & Blink-182 Debut at Nos. 2 & 3". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ "Nine by blink-182". Apple Music. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ^ "ASCAP Repertory". ASCAP.
- ^ "yodobashi.com: BLINK 182". yobodashi.com. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ NINE (liner notes). Blink-182. US: Columbia Records. 2019. 19075963222.
{{cite AV media notes}}
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- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Blink-182 – Nine" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Blink-182 – Nine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Blink-182 – Nine" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ "Blink 182 Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Blink-182 – Nine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 39, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 30, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Blink-182". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Blink-182 – Nine". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Nine on Billboard Japan Hot Albums". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ "BLINK 182の作品" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Blink-182 – Nine". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 39: del 20.9.2019 al 26.9.2019" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Blink-182 – Nine". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Blink-182 – Nine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ "blink-182 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Blink-182 Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "Blink-182 Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "Blink-182 Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
Sources
- Allen, Matt (August 28, 2019). "Nine Lives". ISSN 0262-6624.