The EP's first track starts with a synth-ey instrumental intro before plunging the listener into a fast paced verse by DeLonge, his vocals sounding like his best in some time. This is pushed forward by Travis Barker's crisp hi hat beat and a rumbling Hoppus bassline. The song then soars into a chorus of DeLonge singing "This is the worst damn day of my life". It's catchy, loud and most importantly, heavy. The EP then moves onto the title track, which is another banger. This is the only track on the EP led by Hoppus vocally, and he too impresses. These two songs show and urgency which hasn't been heard since 'Dude Ranch'.
Just when you think that maybe Blink 182 have matured gracefully after their 2011 mid-life crisis album 'Neighbourhoods'you get brought back to reality by the EP's third track 'Disaster', which doesn't exactly excite. The song, minus the please-get-into-it intro,is around two minutes long but feels much longer. Especially with its goofy chorus "What do you fear, my love?/Your soul, it will float like a dove". This embarrassing part of the EP is second only to fourth song 'Boxing Day' which see's Blink attempting to venture into folk territory. It's laughable. It's actually awkward to listen to, with a four chord acoustic guitar progression, unfitting drums and lyrics such as "I'm empty like the day after christmas", you'd expect this in an Xmas no.1 not a Blink 182 song.
The EP finishes with the song 'Pretty Little Girl' which starts pleasantly enough with a DeLonge sung verse which, after the last two songs makes the listener either excited or concerned. The song then goes into another forgettable chorus which atleast features those loveable DeLonge-Hoppus harmonies, before yet another synth driven section. Just when you start wishing the EP would finish gracefully, guest rapper Yelawolf pops up awkwardly with a 35-second rap which does not seem to serve any purpose whatsoever, aside from to confirm that Blink 182 haven't quite figured out the meaning of a 'mature' sound. This EP coupled with 'Neighbourhoods' leaves me with the impression that Blink seem to think 'mature' means 'synth', the synths however are completely unnecessary and out of place most of the time.
All in all, considering the EP was written and recorded in two months, the first two tracks impress hugely. The opening track is head and shoulders above any tracks realesed since their self-titled album in 2003 and should give Blink 182 fans hope that maybe there is still some life left in Blink 182 yet. However, the last three tracks really need to be deleted from Blink 182 history as they do nothing for their legacy.
5/10
James Atherton
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