Tom DeLonge has revealed that he was considering ditching music entirely until he discovered that former Blink-182 bandmate Mark Hoppus had been diagnosed with cancer.
The update was shared yesterday (September 18) and acted as a nearly four-minute long teaser for the new chat the band have had with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe. The discussion marked the announcement of their new album ‘One More Time…’.
Lowe’s interview with the band will see the trio catch up on what has happened since singer/guitarist DeLonge rejoined the group last year, and open up about “topics they have never shared before”.
Although the full video has yet to be released, the teaser provided fans with some new insight into the members. Namely, DeLonge admitted that he was ready to turn his back on music until he discovered that his then-former bandmate had been taken ill.
“I remember telling my wife, ‘I don’t think I’m ever gonna play music again, I don’t think I’m ever gonna tour again’… Until Mark told me he was sick, and then I was like, ‘That was the only thing I wanna do,’” he said in the teaser.
DeLonge parted ways with the band in 2015 and the sickness that he has referred to was that of Mark Hoppus, who was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago but later confirmed in September 2021 that he was cancer-free.
“When he told me he was sick, that’s the gnarliest… like, nothing matters, really,” DeLonge added, following Hoppus revealing that the chemo treatment “wrecked” his vocal cords.
“It wasn’t about fame or money or how big Blink was or anything, it was like, ‘You’re gonna get through this shit, and we’re gonna go dominate.’” Check out the full teaser below.
‘One More Time…’ will mark the first time that the classic line-up – comprising Hoppus, DeLonge and Travis Barker – have released a new album together since 2011’s ‘Neighborhoods‘. It follows last year’s single ‘Edging’.
The trailer also teased three new tracks from the album: ‘Anthem Part 3’, ‘You Don’t Know What You’ve Got’ and the title track. The latter is set for release this Thursday (September 21).
‘One More Time…’ is released on October 20 via Colombia and is said by DeLonge to be the the group’s “best” and “most progressive” yet. Pre-order and pre-save it here.
The record was made amid Blink’s blockbuster reunion tour and features 17 songs entirely produced by drummer Barker.
Blink-182 will play various shows in the UK next month including two slots at London’s O2 Arena, two at the AO Arena in Manchester, and one at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham. Find any remaining tickets here.
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