Although Blink-182 did not really hit their stride until later on in their career, they had to start somewhere as a band. That was here, this album, which was their first album. Initially released only on tape cassette, this kickstarted the Skate Punk revolution of the mid to late 1990s. The album featured three young men who were very talented: Tom DeLonge (guitarist/vocalist), Mark Hoppus (bassist/vocalist) and Scott Raynor (drums, only to be later replaced by Travis Barker). This should be an iconic listen, so without further hesitation, let’s observe this release track-by-track, and we hope that it is full of quality tunes.

Carousel begins with a basic Punk feel. It has trebly, noisy guitars and a wall of sound that sounds like a totally live performance. Soon enough, a very good bass guitar melody takes to the fore of this track. The playing of this tune is very frenetic. A speedy drum section then gets this tune going, and the whole piece becomes very Hardcore Punk. The singing here is in a very direct way, and although it sounds a little pitchy on this song, the song works very well. A lo-fi and awesome piece of music, Blink-182 entered the music scene of the 1990s, kicking the competition out of the way. Excellent start to this album. It ends quickly.

M + M’s is a reference to the famous candy. It begins with some tight-loose drumming, before launching into a really cool and Poppy tune about spending some time with a partner. This is youthful romanticism at its finest from the 1990s, it just sounds really cool and awesome music. Blink-182 sound very optimistic, energetic and relevant in this recording. The guitar riffing on this song is very cool, and there are some references to masturbation and other rather crude sentiments on this song. Nonetheless, this works. It’s not as good as Blink-182 later on, but it is still quintessential listening for Punk rockers. Short and sweet, it is less than three minutes long. Sounding great throughout.

Fentoozler begins with some Ramones style guitars, before launching into an energetic and medium tempo Punk Rock piece. It is a good song aimed at a lady who talks but doesn’t deliver. Very much a Rock and Roll sort of thing with male dominated imagery, it isn’t sexist, just straight talking. A short and bittersweet piece of music that is two minutes long, this is really excellent to hear to this day. It ends with sustained guitars.

Touchdown Boy begins with some really awesome and upbeat guitar riffs, quickly followed by quick drums and a sense that we have a special piece of music on record. Soon enough, it changes tempo at the drop of a hat and we have liftoff. Nonetheless, this is a really decent piece of Hardcore Punk. Tom DeLonge sings wonderfully on this tune, and he delivers very well as a vocalist/guitarist. There are harmonies in the background as well, which is very un-Punkish. Still, this is a good tune with a strange conversation sampled in the middle. Nonetheless, this music is very much a sonic assault on your listening consciousness. Nice work regardless.

Strings begins with a supercharged drum roll, followed by fast Punk guitars that sound excellent. Again, this is simple music, but it is most definitely superb and really fantastic. A lively, passionate and excellent song by Blink-182, Mark Hoppus sings very, very well on this song. It is another simple teen styled Punk Pop piece that should get your attention. The playing of this song is tremendously excellent, it sounds marvellous. It is over after two minutes or so before you expect it to be done.

Peggy Sue launches right into it. This is not a cover of the Buddy Holly piece. Instead, it is a historical Rock reference here. The song itself is a very fast and brutal sounding effort. To be fair, this could have been better mixed. It is very difficult to hear what Tom DeLonge is singing about in this tune. But then again, this is lo-fi sounding and it is likely intentionally mixed down a bit for the sake of the record. Another good song regardless, this is impressive music here.

Sometimes is extremely short, only a minute long. It’s more Hardcore Punk with some direct vocals by Mark Hoppus. Again, this is like sculling a can of Red Bull: fast and brutal. Regardless, this sounds very, very good. An awesome listen, much like the rest of the album.

Does My Breath Smell? begins with a silly introduction piece by the group that is very tongue-in-cheek. Soon enough, it launches into a wonderful and powerful piece of music that is energetic and furious. It is an excellent listen nonetheless, and just sounds really fine and fantastic. Tom DeLonge sings a very cool set of lyrics here. There is a drum solo, followed by stop/start guitars. This tune sounds really great, and it is fast, punchy and direct.

Cacophony begins with a slow bass guitar part, followed by some very sweet sounding Fender Stratocaster styled guitar parts, before launching back and forth between quiet/loud sounds. This song eventually launches into a good song, but not a great song. This is quite disappointing musically, it sounds like a bit of a drag. This is Blink-182 attempting to do a ballad. The second half goes back into the usual Hardcore Punk thing which sounds really loud, energetic and fast paced. A wonderful listen at that point, this does work exceptionally decently compared to the first half of the song. Not the best song ever, but is this supposed to be so?

TV begins with some excellent bass guitar riffing, before quickly launching into a very sharp, short and vicious sounding assault. Again, this is pure Skate Punk on speed, it just sounds ridiculously good. A sugar rush for sure. The harmonies towards the end are fantastic, a really nice listen indeed.

Toast And Bananas begins with the unusual line: “My pants are off, right now…” before launching into a strange and weird tune that sounds unusual. It’s a middle finger in the air style piece of music that again sounds very much in the tradition of USA Punk music. A super cool tune regardless, it sounds energised and supercharged, like a V8 based sportscar. The playing on this song is really quite good, and this sounds really fun.

Wasting Time begins with some loud and punchy guitars and some excellent riffing. Soon enough, this launches into a mid-tempo piece Blink-182 tune that is more of the same. By this point of the album, this is fairly routine stuff. All the same, it is good enough for what it is. A speedy and supercharged listen to hear, this is outstanding work. A lively and enjoyable tune about wasting time with a lady of some sorts. A good listen, even if some of the music on this album doesn’t differentiate much.

Romeo and Rebecca begins at a slow pace with chugging guitar parts. It sounds fairly anthemic from the start, but even so, is basically more of the same from Blink-182. This is okay, but quickly launches into a fast Hardcore Punk section. This is a very recognisable tune to hear, and does the job very well. Too bad that much of the music on this album is identically the same, however.

Ben Wah Balls begins with a parody song section with a great punchline joke in it, before launching into a very fast paced and interesting tune to hear. Again, this is super fast Hardcore Punk styled music. The first verse has a mock Reggae section, before launching into a really fast paced song. This is, again, a bit dull musically by this point as all the songs sound relatively the same. A good effort, but Blink-182 could and did better than this. A slower song section about incest is here, quickly followed by a super fast song section towards the end. Different.

Just About Done begins with a great drum section, before launching into a really weird and messed up sounding tune with some screaming in it. Following it is a lame section of mock chanting, which is really stupid. This is pure filler musically, there is nothing really great nor interesting on this tune. Rubbish, and not worth hearing. Skip this one.

Depends is the very last song on this album. It has a quick intro, and Tom DeLonge sings about having a need to urinate on others. Comical, for sure, it is very unusual to hear. A good finish piece to finish off a record that, understandably okay, but not terrific. Halfway through the track the song ends, whilst the band talk nonsense and do a parody routine.

In all honesty, this album does have some promising elements to it. However, the songs at times have a bit of hit-and-miss of quality to them. All in all, a good debut album but Blink-182 were better as a band later on. This is a good start, but not something you would regularly come back to otherwise.

Decent but needs more work on it.

6/10