Dogs Eating Dogs

Following its 2009 reunion, it took Blink 182 a few years to deliver *Neighborhoods*. So the fact that the 2012 five-song EP *Dogs Eating Dogs* took less than two months to record and release is a great sign. The opening “When I Was Young” builds anticipation with a 40-second intro of ambient electronica before the band\'s propulsive punk-pop is warmed up and running. The song reminds us of Tom DeLonge’s strength in contrasting sunny, catchy melodies with downtrodden lyrics—the ones here muse on what a drag it is getting old. Fans of Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus’ post–Blink 182 band +44 will find trace elements of that group\'s “Lycanthrope” in the title track (though some parts of the chorus sound somewhat influenced by Alkaline Trio). Similarly, “Disaster” contains leftover DNA from DeLonge’s post–Blink 182 project Angels & Airwaves. This is first noticeable in the opening analog tones, which sound like manipulated radio frequencies bleeding into pulsing rhythms; they suddenly morph into Blink 182\'s unmistakably punchy guitar pop.

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