Studio Album · No. 7
California Songwriting Credits by Blink-182
Produced by John Feldmann · Engineered by Zakk Cervini (engineering, mixing), Matt Pauling (engineering), Neal Avron (mixing), Dan Lancaster (mixing), Ben Grosse (mixing), Ted Jensen (mastering)
Holds writing credit on 16 of 16 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 16 / 16 documented
Scored across the 16 tracks with documented writers, by whether Blink-182 carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 16 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Awards & Recognition 1
California was produced by John Feldmann and is the first Blink-182 album without Tom DeLonge, who left in January 2015 and was replaced by Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio. Skiba and Mark Hoppus wrote the majority of songs, often with Feldmann as a co-writer, marking the most producer-collaborative writing approach in the band's catalog. "Bored to Death" reached number one on Alternative Songs (the band's first chart-topper in 12 years since "I Miss You") and number 85 on the Hot 100. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album at the 59th Grammy Awards in 2017.
California is the seventh studio album by blink-182, released in July 2016 on BMG Records. It was the first album recorded without Tom DeLonge, who had departed the band in 2015, with his replacement being Alkaline Trio vocalist and guitarist Matt Skiba. Hoppus and Barker wrote all material with Skiba contributing; the album's 16 tracks were produced by John Feldmann and represented the most mainstream pop-punk of the band's career, with a production polish and radio-accessibility that prioritized commercial performance over the experimental ambition of the self-titled album. 'Bored to Death,' 'Built This Pool,' and 'Los Angeles' were the principal tracks; 'Bored to Death' spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. California debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 136,000 first-week units, the first number-one debut in the band's career, and has been certified double platinum in the United States. The album is regarded by critics as the most pop-oriented of the catalog and a successful commercial adaptation to the post-DeLonge lineup change.