MTV Reports On Next Album Being "AMBITIOUS"

It's been more than six years since Blink-182 released their untitled (or, some say, self-titled) fifth album, which was born from increased tension within the band, carried with it the dreaded "mature" mantle, and eventually led to Mark, Tom and Travis taking an "indefinite hiatus." It was, by all accounts, a pretty difficult time for everyone involved.

These days, things are different in the Blink camp. They buried old beefs and reunited onstage at the 2009 Grammy Awards, talked about making a new album, then hit the road on a raucous arena tour. It was very much like old times. The good old times.

And with a triumphant 2009 behind them, they roll into 2010 with one roadblock remaining: that aforementioned new album. They didn't play the one new track they'd completed — "Up All Night" — on their reunion tour, and, so far, the only recording plan we've heard of was Travis Barker's promise to include new Blink material on his upcoming solo album. Needless to say, the timetable appears to be slightly sketchy for when we'll actually get to hear any of the new stuff — let alone a new album. But that hasn't stopped fans from speculating that this will finally be the year that we get the follow-up to their 2003 effort.

But what will the new Blink sound like? Well, according to the guys themselves, probably not what you're expecting. Just last week, a Los Angeles production company called Handsome Randsome released a teaser trailer for their upcoming "Blinkumentary," which mentioned that Blink were definitely in the studio right now working on the album and quoted guitarist Tom DeLonge as saying, "No one really knows what to expect from the next Blink record, [but] I don't think anyone thinks it's going to be a straightforward rock record. ... [It's] probably the most ambitious songwriting and art that we've ever made."

Then there's the new song bassist Mark Hoppus created with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, for the upcoming "Alice in Wonderland" soundtrack. According to Wentz, the track — called "In Transit" — "sounds nothing like Blink" and was more the end product of a pair of buddies working together for the heck of it. Still, it is new music, and it seems to be in keeping with what DeLonge talked about in the "Blinkumentary" trailer.

So maybe the new Blink will be a bit like Angels & Airwaves, mixed with a touch of (+44)? Or maybe it won't at all. And what about that mysterious solo album Hoppus told MTV News about early last year? Who will produce the new album? And will they finish recording it before heading to Europe for a string of shows this summer? There are plenty of questions and very few answers (there's not even a tentative release date scheduled for the album yet, according to Blink's label, Interscope).

And, really, at the end of the day, all that matters is that we're actually talking about a new Blink record, right? We've waited a long time for this, and 2010 is already looking better because of it.