California is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Blink-182, released on July 1, 2016 through BMG. Produced by John Feldmann, it is the first album by the band to feature vocalist/guitarist Matt Skiba, who replaced former member Tom DeLonge. After touring and releasing the band's sixth album Neighborhoods (2011), it became difficult for the trio to record new material, due to DeLonge's various projects. After disagreements, the remaining members of the group—vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker—sought separation from DeLonge and recruited Skiba, best known as the frontman of rock band Alkaline Trio, in his place.
California was recorded at Foxy Studios between January and March 2016 with Feldmann. He was the group's first new producer since longtime collaborator Jerry Finn. Prior to his involvement, the trio began writing together in September 2015 and completed dozens of songs. They decided to shelve them upon working with Feldmann to start fresh, and they proceeded to record another 28 songs; in all, the group recorded upwards of 50. The band, as well as Feldmann, would regularly spend 18 hours in the studio a day, aiming to start and complete multiple songs in that timeframe. The album's title comes from the band's home state of California, and its artwork was illustrated by the street artist D*Face.
The album debuted at number one in the US and several other countries, and was the group's first domestic chart-topper in 15 years, and first ever in the UK. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album; the band's first. Its first two singles, "Bored to Death" and "She's Out of Her Mind", charted well on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. California received mixed reviews from music critics, with many both complimenting and criticizing its throwback sound. The band have supported the album with a large headlining tour in North America and Europe. A deluxe edition of the album, containing ten new songs, was released in May 2017.
| Track listing | |||
| All tracks written by Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, Matt Skiba and John Feldmann, except where noted. | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Cynical" | 01:55 | |
| 2. | "Bored to Death" | 03:55 | |
| 3. | "She's Out of Her Mind" | 02:42 | |
| 4. | "Los Angeles" | 03:03 | |
| 5. | "Sober" | Hoppus | 02:59 |
| Barker | |||
| Skiba | |||
| Feldmann | |||
| Patrick Stump | |||
| 6. | "Built This Pool" | 00:16 | |
| 7. | "No Future" | 03:45 | |
| 8. | "Home Is Such a Lonely Place" | Hoppus | 03:21 |
| Barker | |||
| Skiba | |||
| Feldmann | |||
| David Hodges | |||
| 9. | "Kings of the Weekend" | Hoppus | 02:56 |
| Barker | |||
| Skiba | |||
| Feldmann | |||
| Hodges | |||
| 10. | "Teenage Satellites" | Hoppus | 03:11 |
| Barker | |||
| Skiba | |||
| Feldmann | |||
| Hodges | |||
| 11. | "Left Alone" | 03:09 | |
| 12. | "Rabbit Hole" | 02:35 | |
| 13. | "San Diego" | Hoppus | 03:12 |
| Barker | |||
| Skiba | |||
| Feldmann | |||
| Stump | |||
| 14. | "The Only Thing That Matters" | 01:57 | |
| 15. | "California" | Hoppus | 03:10 |
| Barker | |||
| Skiba | |||
| Feldmann | |||
| Martin Johnson | |||
| 16. | "Brohemian Rhapsody" | 00:30 | |
| Total length: | 42:36:00 | ||
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