Nine
by blink-182
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Sep 20, 2019
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 103 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 103
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 103
  3. Negative: 24 out of 103
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  1. Blinkfloyd
    Sep 26, 2021
    0
    Soulless and plastic. I cannot believe a band with Matt Skiba could produce an album this bad. The formula went from three guys writing an album to now have like 18 writers and it shows. This is blink trying their hardest to stay relevant and it reeks of desperation.
  2. MeeranQureshi
    Oct 5, 2019
    0
    Bland music with cringeworthy lyrics. Terrible sound and lots of autotune.Sounds like some high school kids singing.Horrible record.
  3. Thsms
    Sep 25, 2019
    9
    Eu gostei bastante do álbum. Sou fã desde meus sei lá... 14-15 anos? Hoje com 32, fico muito feliz em ver uma das minhas bandas favoritas ainda na ativa depois de uma grande perda(saída do Tom).
    Tem músicas muito boas, é ótimo ver Matt Skiba dando o seu toque na banda, trazendo coisas que só o Alkaline Trio poderia fazer tão bem.
    Aos antigos fãs que criticam o novo Blink182, eu só    Eu gostei bastante do álbum. Sou fã desde meus sei lá... 14-15 anos? Hoje com 32, fico muito feliz em ver uma das minhas bandas favoritas ainda na ativa depois de uma grande perda(saída do Tom).
    Tem músicas muito boas, é ótimo ver Matt Skiba dando o seu toque na banda, trazendo coisas que só o Alkaline Trio poderia fazer tão bem.
    Aos antigos fãs que criticam o novo Blink182, eu só lamento e desejo que superem a saída da mamãe da banda. Aceita que dói menos.

    Blink182 ainda respira e a plenos pulmões!
    Let's rock! Mark, $kiba & Travi$!
    ../,    … Expand
  4. MusicGuyMack
    Sep 26, 2019
    8
    Delivering all of the catchy melodies and tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation that Blink fans could hope for in a brand-new, candy-striped and electronica-tinged package, the album is also helped immensely by the improved vocal interplay between Mark Hoppus and Matt Skiba, as well as the latter's inhabiting the role left by his iconic predecessor far more confidently and comfortably.Delivering all of the catchy melodies and tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation that Blink fans could hope for in a brand-new, candy-striped and electronica-tinged package, the album is also helped immensely by the improved vocal interplay between Mark Hoppus and Matt Skiba, as well as the latter's inhabiting the role left by his iconic predecessor far more confidently and comfortably.

    Choice Cuts: "Happy Days", "Darkside", "I Really Wish I Hated You"    … Expand
  5. Fabricioszl
    Sep 21, 2019
    10
    Nostalgic and fresh at the same time! I love it! I miss more good male performers like Blink 182 that can pull off a pop/rock album on mainstream nowadays. The songs are extremely catchy with good lyrics and melodies. The production is on point.
  6. DeliciousMesire
    Sep 21, 2019
    9
    Only adding text because the **** at metacritic decided to have such strict parameters on their reviews.
  7. Trsmith356
    Sep 23, 2019
    9
    A little too pop sounding at times but overall a very good album. Blink is alive and well!
  8. Polpolpro
    Sep 24, 2019
    9
    A good album better than California but not better that untitled album, i recommand it
  9. MysticManiac
    Sep 20, 2019
    8
    The singles don't do a good job at showing the quality of this album. The deep cuts are definitely better, specifically tracks like Hungover You, The First Time, Black Rain and Heaven.
  10. Margherita
    Sep 20, 2019
    10
    Every song, lyrics and sound is particular and different. The album is really significant. Good job Blink-182.
  11. Venusaur
    Sep 20, 2019
    8
    NINE is great and has surpassed my expectations. It sounds like a mixture of Neighbourhoods and California with inspirations from the self titled, but it also tries some new things. Skiba shines on this album and its obvious they made an effort to differentiate his voice from Marks, he's awesome on "No Heart To Speak of" and "Black Rain", the latter of which is unlike anything Blink haveNINE is great and has surpassed my expectations. It sounds like a mixture of Neighbourhoods and California with inspirations from the self titled, but it also tries some new things. Skiba shines on this album and its obvious they made an effort to differentiate his voice from Marks, he's awesome on "No Heart To Speak of" and "Black Rain", the latter of which is unlike anything Blink have ever done. The somewhat controversial singles are all growers and fit well within the context of the other songs. Happy Days and Pin the grenade are lower points to me, but not bad enough to warrent a skip and they don't slow down the tempo. Travis' drumming is as excellent as always, and although he has his moments I don't feel like he gets to show off his skills as much as say in a song like "Hearts all gone". It's still a Blink album through and through, but its more mature than their last two. Overall I think it's a really cool pop-punk album with some interesting experimentation and I think it's a great direction for Blink to go in… Expand
  12. leosimoes
    Sep 20, 2019
    10
    Melhor álbum com Matt Skiba na banda e melhor álbum desde 2003, surreal!!!!
  13. Tsbond
    Sep 20, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I feel nine is a story about depression, grief and its many stages, blame, failed relationships, pain, and suffering. It doesnt have a happy ending but it's so sad that it is beautiful and makes me happy that it is so sad. You cant have sorrow this deep without the contrast of intense joy.


    Starting with the first time...


    It's a great starter for a great album.

    I really enjoy the feelings it inspires like it is the first time getting high or falling in love it kind of sends you back to that long lost, ever allusive, nostalgic feeling. I really like that it's the album opener cause it sets you up for a wild roller coaster of emotions. The contextual story of the album.

    I treat nine like a story. It starts out at the beginning of a terrible road of manic depressive bi polar disorder. Or just human emotion in general. This song, "The first time" is when we first start to realize that life isnt always going to be the same way it was when we were young. We are getting older and reality is coming like a meteor to kill the dinosuars. Only the dinosaurs in this analogy is joy. The amazing Joy of youth will never be obtained again and we are struggling to hold onto that feeling but we can sense that there ain't nothing like the first time. We become more hollow searching for that first time feeling. After this song comes "happy days" were we have fallen deeper down the rabbit hole. Weve fallen deeper into darkness and depression. We feel like we have hit rock bottom and are in the bottom of a pit of negativity and self doubt. The first time is long gone and now if we ever want to get back to Happy days we have to climb out ourselves and make the decision that we will work for that happiness. Sometimes it's a choice. WE WANNA FEEL HAPPY DAYS, but as the clock ticks, they become more scarce. Depressed people can become very manic. They go through phases were they are set on climbing back to hapiness and attack their life goals very hard and go all out with motivation only to fly too close to the sun and crash back into the pit even harder than before.

    Heaven then takes us back into that pit where we realize that even though we try to be good and make t he most of life. we fall back into our old ways, and if it isnt us it's those around us. For some it gets so bad that they lash out in violence. These devastating acts of violence like mass shootings make us feel like we have no control over this world and that people are stuck in their ways. Chaos or evil prevails, despite our efforts to obtain Happy days. Heaven shows us the pessimistic outlook on humanity. It shows us the world won't change or it doesnt want to.

    This puts us into a state of not giving a **** about the consequences of our actions because we feel the world is hopeless. We just want lust and love and excitement. We dont care what anyone says about us. We dont care what anyone does. We dont care about morality anymore because the world is ****ing hopeless anyways. Were going to the darkside baby.

    Then comes biomy which is quite literally blaming the previous generations for how weve become. Nines version of Anthem part 2 "If were ****ed up your to blame" however even in this ****ed up state we feel happy about some aspects of our life. Even though we were left alone in front of a t.v. to be raised on re runs and riddilin. Despite the fact no one ever gave a **** We found our own hapiness and highs and even though it may be ****ed up it's still ours and it's beautiful and its cant be killed. Despite the flaws of our youth and the imperfections, it's still a work of art to us, but some see it as a waste.

    And that's the Generational divide! Many of the youth's parents give them life-line after life-line and keep bailing them out when they swear they will be better than the last time. It's a vicious cycle of love clashing with the division of ideas amongst the older generation and the newer generation. The younger generation tries to make it better but is it better? Or has the damage all ready been done and it's too little too late?

    Then we lash out and run away because of this divide. We try to escape in any way possible. We want to separate ourselves and get away, but at the same time love and perhaps dependance or just the craving for homeostasis wants us to not get away for good, just give us some space and well come home again. At the same time tragedy all around us has created depression making it more and more difficult to believe in anything at all. Hope is being flooded by thick black rain. Despite our efforts to swim and find happy days the black rain wont ever stop pouring Good work blink. You made me weep, but it was therapeutic    … Expand
  14. Skydog
    Sep 21, 2019
    0
    Edit: Dr. VanillaD- no I am not a Tom fanboy. Hate Angels and Hairspray with Glitter too.This blink album might as well have been an entire collab with every fake vocal edited “can’t sing live” pop star of the 2010s. It’s such a pop infested swamp of vile. So your review is just an attack at me, and an incorrect assumption as well.

    The singles already scared me enough, but honestly    Edit: Dr. VanillaD- no I am not a Tom fanboy. Hate Angels and Hairspray with Glitter too.This blink album might as well have been an entire collab with every fake vocal edited “can’t sing live” pop star of the 2010s. It’s such a pop infested swamp of vile. So your review is just an attack at me, and an incorrect assumption as well.

    The singles already scared me enough, but honestly thought the entire thing was trash. They
    desperately need Tom back after California and now this. This album is littered with so much vocal edits/autotune and is really noticeable and horrible in anything trying to be rock.

    Pros:
    - They tried. They really tried to branch out but they went the wrong way. Hiphop-wannabe-punk rock is not the route to go with the band. It sounds horrible.

    Cons:
    - Autotune/vocal editing very much present on almost every track.
    - Not enough time for Travis Barker to shine compared to early albums. They literally put so many handclaps/electronic hi-hat (which is already used enough in every other pop/hiphop song...) that I don't get why they seem to be wanting to abandon their roots. They should let Barker do more drum solos like in the past. When they did let him drum he did a lot of generic-rock beats.    … Expand
  15. RamenPleb
    Sep 20, 2019
    9
    Blink 182 has released a dark, pop rock album for the ages. Driven by it's sweltering synths, slow burning guitar, addictive choruses and Matt Skiba's impressive screamy vocals. This album has the blink like catchiness and pop punk sensibilities to grab hardcore fans and the poppy production to please the mainstream market.

    Blink's last effort was a step down from 2011's Neighborhoods.    Blink 182 has released a dark, pop rock album for the ages. Driven by it's sweltering synths, slow burning guitar, addictive choruses and Matt Skiba's impressive screamy vocals. This album has the blink like catchiness and pop punk sensibilities to grab hardcore fans and the poppy production to please the mainstream market.

    Blink's last effort was a step down from 2011's Neighborhoods. Travis Barker's usually laser deadly drumming was almost brought down by the lackluster production and overall safeness if the album. Nine is a huge step up in that regard. This album feels as if it's a modern take on 2003's Untitled with the same experimentation found on tracks like No Heart To Speak Of and Heaven but with more crisp production and scattered 808s. Travis's drumming is typical Travis, which is a HUGE complement. The latin and hip hop inspired grooves are fresh and his fills are as quick as usual. Matt Skiba truly found his place on this album however. His vocals are some of the best vocals I've ever heard from him tied with the Alkaline Trio song Radio. The emo screams are just perfect to my ears. The riffs are catchy and simple, very blink like.

    Mark's not the best singer, but he still does good on the album. His melodies and simple but effective lyrics tug at all the right heartstrings.

    Overall, this album is my favorite so far for 2019. I really like this album with it's impressive vocals and diverse instrumentation. Every song is enjoyable for me, some more than others. For me, this is a 9/10, rivaling classic blink with the quality.    … Expand
  16. Sodapopboxwell
    Sep 20, 2019
    1
    "I feel like a melted popsicle. Give me a flu shot and take me to the hospital."
    This is what blink has come too. It's so bad its laughable. A real shame coming from them. This album is **** awful.
  17. StevenProctor
    Sep 20, 2019
    8
    Overall a positive effort and a definite continuation of the upward inflection after Neighbourhoods with California in hand. The focus on big melodies really shines through here and with 2 songwriters in Skiba and Hoppus pulling in the same direction, Blink are better off with Tom de Longe off chasing aliens.
  18. sawyersmith123
    Sep 25, 2019
    10
    This is the best full-length blink-182 release since 2003's Untitled album. It shows blink-182 challenging themselves and using modern beats and production techniques to evolve their sound in a natural and mature way. This is exactly where blink-182 should be, and should cause any fans still reluctant to buy into the modern post-Tom iteration of the band to rethink their position. TheThis is the best full-length blink-182 release since 2003's Untitled album. It shows blink-182 challenging themselves and using modern beats and production techniques to evolve their sound in a natural and mature way. This is exactly where blink-182 should be, and should cause any fans still reluctant to buy into the modern post-Tom iteration of the band to rethink their position. The singles from this album felt lacking, but make much more sense when consumed in the context of an album. This thing is cohesive. Good job, blink-182.… Expand
  19. betoromerogza
    Sep 20, 2019
    9
    Nine is the best blink-182 album since 2003's Untitled. Mark, Matt and Travis approached this album with a different mindset than 2016's California. Instead of "going back" to their roots and trying to sound like EOTS or TOYPAJ, NINE experiments with modern sounds while keeping that iconic blink sound we all know and love. The more mature and dark themes of this album brings us back to +44Nine is the best blink-182 album since 2003's Untitled. Mark, Matt and Travis approached this album with a different mindset than 2016's California. Instead of "going back" to their roots and trying to sound like EOTS or TOYPAJ, NINE experiments with modern sounds while keeping that iconic blink sound we all know and love. The more mature and dark themes of this album brings us back to +44 days, and reminds us that Matt Skiba's past can be benefitial to blink's present.… Expand
  20. DrVanillaD
    Sep 20, 2019
    9
    Had to post a review, mostly in response to Skydog and any other delusional Tom fanboys who claim Blink isn't Blink without Tom. You're all ridiculous and need to get some things through your heads.

    1. This is Blink's most cohesive work since Untitled. It's also the most similar in themes and production. If you honestly think Tom could ever sing like he does on that record, you are    Had to post a review, mostly in response to Skydog and any other delusional Tom fanboys who claim Blink isn't Blink without Tom. You're all ridiculous and need to get some things through your heads.

    1. This is Blink's most cohesive work since Untitled. It's also the most similar in themes and production. If you honestly think Tom could ever sing like he does on that record, you are again delusional.
    2. Tom's not making music like this anymore. He's making synth pop, which is ironic, because you hate modern production elements in Blink so much but have no trouble listening to Tom's now bastardized AvA.
    3. Travis works in hiphop. I have no doubt that he programmed all of these drum beats. He's even talked about how proud of it he is for god's sake.
    4. You don't need to listen to Blink and pretend they've done wrong by you, or Tom, by moving on and continuing to evolve. You can just enjoy the music.
    5. Matt Skiba is basically the realized version of angsty Tom, minus some guitar flair (notice I say fliar, not talent). He's a better singer and an equal in lyricism.
    6. Tom barely writes the material anymore. Their drummer does. Why do you think it's so synth heavy and why do you think Tom is being TAUGHT the guitar parts in their recording updates? He's too busy chasing aliens to write music. I'd only believe he's writing their lyrics and vocals. Rebel Girl's lyrics are atrocious.

    Skydog, I can't wait for you to give AvA's album a 1 as well, because all the things you claim to hate are already present in the tracks they've release. Blink wouldn't be the Blink you grew up loving if Tom was still a part of it. Get over that fact and you'll be able to enjoy both bands a lot more.

    Best songs on this are: Heaven, Darkside, Black Rain, Ransom, No Heart To Speak of, On some Emo ****

    Weakest: Happy Days, Blame it On my Youth. Both of which, in context of the album, flow pretty well.    … Expand
  21. Brettaintdead
    Sep 20, 2019
    10
    I'm just happy blink is still releasing music some 20+ years later . I had to Google where to buy a physical CD , God damn I'm old . Less punk more pop , which I'm ok with .
  22. 808great
    Sep 20, 2019
    6
    Some highs, a lot of forgettable tracks. There’s nothing particularly interesting, groundbreaking, or gritty. It’s a polished album that sounds mostly the same throughout. Rather than a step forward, it’s a step laterally into a different take on the band. Though this take is polished, formulaic, and sometimes just plain boring.
  23. 261aguilar
    Sep 20, 2019
    10
    This album is a good comeback from the band. At first I was a little skeptical about the new single "BOMY" but after the song "Happy Days" my fears went down.

    The album has one of the best tracks like "On some Emo S..." "Darkside" and "Pin the granade"

    Good job Blink182, Good job!
  24. joey24
    Sep 21, 2019
    9
    ......................................3rd best album all time................................................ .
  25. ksbec
    Sep 23, 2019
    4
    Just wasn’t my thing. Loved the old blink 182 and this just isn’t the same. Could see why some would enjoy this though.
  26. Barbosz
    Oct 29, 2019
    2
    Ever since Tom DeLonge left the band, it's almost impossible to listen to them. Every album sucks major balls nowadays with production skipped all together it seems, songs written by a 12 year old and in general, it sound like musical diarrhoea. Sweet jesus
  27. skanonoy
    Sep 23, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Step backwards. The album
    Did not grow up as with its older fans but obviously targeted to much younger audiences. Young folks may like it but blink has become something that is not my cup of tea anymore. Other bands were able to grow with thier fans gracefully but what blink is doing is cringe worthy.    … Expand
  28. musicmaniac
    Sep 23, 2019
    0
    One of the worst albums of the past 10 years. What were they thinking... Lady Gaga hits harder than they do now. LMAO.
    Ignore the 10's on here.. they must be Kanye fans.
  29. Ptrade
    Sep 21, 2019
    10
    Very nice and good album - they have courage to make experiments with sound and cross the boundaries of the pop-punk and the things their fans wait from them. In my opinion it is sounds fresh and very interesting to listen. Because everything should change and develops and it is great that blink 182 develops their sound and music staying true to genre traditions and their style withoutVery nice and good album - they have courage to make experiments with sound and cross the boundaries of the pop-punk and the things their fans wait from them. In my opinion it is sounds fresh and very interesting to listen. Because everything should change and develops and it is great that blink 182 develops their sound and music staying true to genre traditions and their style without looking back.… Expand
  30. JupiterMan
    Sep 20, 2019
    0
    Embarrassing crap for a 47 years old bassist. Blink 182 was Tom Delonge. He is better chasing aliens.
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Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Most Discussed Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Sep 30, 2019
    40
    A few songs impress but the majority is meant to fill radio stations and leave you wondering where the magic this band held went. Probably outer space...
    Read full review
  2. Pitchfork
    Sep 30, 2019
    52
    It’s surprising how well the new sound works, though the voice of Skiba doesn’t always mesh comfortably with the production. As always, angst and unrequited affections are aplenty, but it all feels far too tame.
    Read full review
  3. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Sep 30, 2019
    80
    The album is pretty much a joyride from start to finish, moving through a number of different styles, driven by some of the best damn drumming you’ve ever heard. And everyone involved in writing these songs (yes, including Feldmann) is a talented lyricist who knows how to craft excellent pop songs. So ultimately, it’s a brilliantly fun album if you have the fortitude to look past a lot of very annoying studio effects to listen to what Blink-183 are really saying.
    Read full review
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