(+44)

blink-182 was a good band. They were not a great band, however, but a group that could deliver some fun pop songs without taking themselves too seriously. Tragically, not only did they break up, but Tom DeLonge went on a mission to kill the brain cells of kids who have all of their hair on one side of their head by starting Angels & Airwaves.

Consequently, when Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker formed +44, I was worried my gut feeling that blink-182 was an entity greater than the sum of its parts would be proven indefinitely. Fortunately though, my suspicions subsided after giving When Your Heart Stops Beating a couple spins.

This album has some fun blink-esque hooks that are hard not to enjoy, and Hoppus’ vocals should do well in drying the tears of blink fans, while impressing newcomers at the same time. Tracks like “Lycanthrope” and “When Your Heart Stops Beating” really shine; though the spirit of would-be blink releases is definitely present, +44 avoids sounding like a cheap knock-off of their previous incarnation.

All in all, When Your Heart Stops Beating proves that Hoppus still knows how to write simple, catchy tracks that will get you singing along. I liked this album all the way through, and I’m pretty sure if you care about where these guys came from, you’ll like it too. This isn’t a blink-182 record, but it’s more than two-thirds of the way there.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Lycanthrope
02. Baby Come On
03. When Your Heart Stops Beating
04. Little Death
05. 155
06. Lillian
07. Cliffdiving
08. Interlude
09. Weatherman
10. No, It Isn’t
11. Make You Smile
12. Chapter 13

Run Time: 45:36