5/10

After the turmoil that brought the band to its knees during the early 2000s reared its ugly head again last year, people thought that Blink 182 would be gone forever this time. Thankfully, the removing of frontman Tom DeLonge and inclusion of Alkaline Trio's singer Matt Skiba has reinvigorated the group as they return with their first studio album with the new line-up.

And while the addition of Skiba's distinctive vocals adds a new layer to their sound, they still suffer the same problems they had with the 2011 album 'Neighborhoods', which is where to send their direction now they have grown up. Blink 182 made a career out of being immature and it was that playful attitude that made them so admirable, but literally now middle-aged men, they have tried to write more thought-provoking tunes that simply don't carry the same energy.

While much of 'California' is still very much enjoyable, there is a lot of filler on here that really affects the flow and pace of the record. While it is clear they are trying to reignite the spark from their 2003 self-titled release, that was far too long ago and with seldom-seen releases ever since, they just aren't what they used to be.