A spiritual follow up to 2003’s ‘Untitled’, ‘Nine’ sees the trio as confident adventurers. Dealing with the ideas of despair, loneliness and longing, the record doesn’t shy away from the shadows but you’re never far from a dash of hope ... ‘Nine’ sees Blink back at their very best.
Whether or not this slightly grown-up iteration of blink lasts more than this one record remains to be seen, but on NINE it feels like the band are finding a new lease of life in the dark days of 2019.
Look past the garish neon, the jarring pop and confused self-image, and what you find is a surprisingly somber and moving piece of work that might just stay with you.
While Nine is by no means a dour emo record, it carries enough emotional heft to elevate it as one of blink-182's strongest late-era efforts, one that matures the typical blink sound with its commitment to vulnerability and honesty.
The band’s second album with former Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba on hand is a nuanced success.
Blink-182’s second album with Matt Skiba is ultimately subpar, weighed down by stereotypical lyrics and cloying choruses. Producers John Feldmann and Tim Pagnotta’s heavy use of compression makes NINE as in-your-face as possible, not giving the songs the necessary breathing room to develop without overproduction.
At its best, NINE is catchy but forgettable pop-rock candy that’s too sweet for its own good.
Nine brings nothing new to the table and most attempts by the band to feel relevant are either uninspired or embarrassing.
Nine will be looked back on as a casualty of the streaming era, when quantity rules, and quality is non-existent.
NINE reeks of adolescence — and not in the goofy, humorous way of Blink-182's past, but in a cringe-y attempt at youthful angst. There are no slyly couched bits of wisdom, no life lessons learned between goof-ups and heartbreak, and it's altogether too earnest and self-serious to even be enjoyed as carefree fun.
Nine will have you crying "nein" the whole way through.
That's it. I've had it.
Blink 182 are not a good band.
There is not a single record i've heard from this group that has 'wowed' me, or 'shaken me to my core', or hell, even a record that i've 'liked'. Every Blink 182 album i've heard even sounds too annoying, too boring or too stupid for me to really take them seriously or appreciate the performance. All I've gotten from this is a bad Fall Out Boy on Crack vibe that I hate with every fiber of my being. It just sounds fucking awful! And, for ... read more
MY AOTY FOR 2019
MY FIRST 10/10 ALBUM
Update - The 1 Year Anniversary Review of Nine - A Revisit and a Letter:
Today marks this album's one year anniversary (at least here in Australia). Boy, where do I even begin.
Below will be my testament to this album that's been there for me through thick and thin ever since its release, even if it doesn't seem like it.
When the album first came out, I was practically days away from graduating high school. I heard about the album from when Darkside came ... read more
I aint listening to this shit
Edit: I listened half way and it is manipulative, cheap, and flaccid cringe-core pop rock
One of NINE's biggest problems by far was the mixing. It was evidently stuffy in the first few tracks, but either it isn't as bad in the later tracks, or I just got used to it going thru the rest of the album, but even beyond that, the album just doesn't feel fresh because of the mixing. The trap influence isn't all that bad, but a lot of that natural, organic, fresh feeling is lost because of the more trap/electric focus of the instrumentals throughout this album.
This album isn't as bad as everyone says it is, it's definitely not as good as their older stuff but still a decent experience.
Matt deserves more credit than he is given for his place in Blink-182 when Tom left.
Despite the album's colorful cover, the album is just boring and washed out. It is so bland that it is no longer pop punk or even pop. At least pop is usually pristine.
1 | The First Time 2:26 | 60 |
2 | Happy Days 2:59 | 54 |
3 | Heaven 3:17 | 61 |
4 | Darkside 3:00 | 65 |
5 | Blame It On My Youth 3:05 | 50 |
6 | Generational Divide 0:49 | 52 |
7 | Run Away 2:27 | 52 |
8 | Black Rain 2:46 | 57 |
9 | I Really Wish I Hated You 3:11 | 53 |
10 | Pin the Grenade 2:59 | 64 |
11 | No Heart To Speak Of 3:40 | 73 |
12 | Ransom 1:25 | 60 |
13 | On Some Emo Shit 3:09 | 59 |
14 | Hungover You 2:58 | 55 |
15 | Remember To Forget Me 3:29 | 55 |
#17 | / | Chorus.fm |
#22 | / | Good Morning America |
#32 | / | Kerrang! |
/ | Alternative Press | |
/ | Radio X |