For a band whose heyday was several years ago, Blink-182 seems to be having a bit of a moment in 2016. This is probably owed to the tumultuous exit of Tom DeLonge, the introduction of Matt Skiba, and the announcement of a new album, California, due out July 1. This is all actual news of note, especially for those who were big pop punk fans at the turn of the millennium. However, if that doesn’t quite grab you in the modern day, then maybe your nostalgia brainwaves will be activated with an album of Blink-182 songs covered on the ukulele.
Ukuleles have also been on the rise in recent years, as it has moved from traditional Hawaiian music to being a shorthand for tweeness, which is absolutely not what you’d think of when you think of Blink-182 and their snotty, sophomoric punk music. Therein lies the humorous juxtaposition at the heart of Blink 182kulele. You can download the album and name your own price on Bandcamp, or just check out the music to sate your curiosity about how, exactly, Blink-182 translates to the gentle, high pitched strumming sounds of the ukulele.
Despite the name, only seven of the 10 songs on the album are Blink-182 songs, which seems like kind of a cheat. They easily could have come up with 10 Blink songs, especially because they included the slight, raunchy “Happy Holidays” on the album. However, the album includes “What’s My Age Again?” and “All the Small Things,” so Enema of the State fans will be happy. Blink 182kulele does open up a world of possibilities for pairing pop punk bands and esoteric instruments. You can play Green Day on Theremin, New Found Glory on accordion, or Wheatus on the bassoon. You’d never be able to hear “Teenage Dirtbag” the same way again. For now, though, we will have to settle for listening to “First Date” being played on ukulele.
(Via AV Club)
