DeLonge Gets Serious With Angels & Airwaves
Box Car Racer cohort David Kennedy, former Rocket From The Crypt drummer Atom Willard and former Distillers bassist Ryan Sinn joined DeLonge for the effort, though he was "getting calls from people who have sold millions of records, more than even [Blink-182] did."
"When I realized Blink wasn't going to be happening anymore, I realized I had new things that I needed to live up to," DeLonge tells Billboard.com "I had no idea I was going to make the best album of my life."
The artist drew lyrical inspiration from his brother's service in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. "This has nothing to do with Democrats or Republicans, but war," he says. "I'm mad because my brother almost died in a war where people didn't need to go in the first place."
The synth- and effects-heavy 10-track set touches on this heady topic, as well as love and heartbreak ("It Hurts," "Good Day"). First single "The Adventure" is available through the band's Web site.
Angels & Airwaves hit the road tomorrow (April 12) in Pomona, Calif., and will open a handful of dates for Taking Back Sunday. DeLonge says a headlining tour is in the works for the fall.
As for the future of Blink-182, which has been on hiatus since February 2005, DeLonge says he regrets having stopped in the wake of its eponymous 2003 album.
"We really turned a corner with that record. And then we stopped, which is sad because I would have loved to see where we would have gone next," he says. "I haven't talked to those guys in over a year. Bands are a relationship. Sometimes you just have to step back and give them some room."
- Katie Hasty (Billboard.com)