page_title: California (Blink-182 album)
section_title: Recording and production
hierarchical_section_title: California (Blink-182 album) / Recording and production
caption_attribution_description: English: Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio performing at the Observatory Orange County in Santa Ana, California on June 5, 2015 on Alkaline Trio's "Past Live" tour.
context_page_description: California is the seventh studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on July 1, 2016 through BMG as the band's only album on the label. Produced by John Feldmann, it is the first album by the band to feature Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba, who replaced former member Tom DeLonge. After touring and releasing the band's sixth album Neighborhoods, it became difficult for the trio to record new material, due to DeLonge's side projects. After several repeated delays, DeLonge departed from the band and bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker recruited Skiba in his place.
  California was recorded at Foxy Studios between January and March 2016 with Feldmann. He was the group's first new lone producer since longtime collaborator Jerry Finn started working with the band in 1998. Prior to his involvement, the trio began writing together in September 2015 and completed dozens of songs. They decided to shelve them upon working with Feldmann to start fresh, and they proceeded to record another 28 songs; in all, the group recorded upwards of 50.
context_section_description: California was produced by John Feldmann and recorded at his studio, Foxy Studios, in Woodland Hills, California between January and March 2016. Feldmann, initially the frontman of the band Goldfinger, became better known for his production work with artists such as 5 Seconds of Summer and All Time Low. Barker was the first to reach out to Feldmann about producing, as the two were good friends. He had known the members of Blink-182 for over two decades, as the group had previously performed shows with Goldfinger. He is the first new producer to work with Blink-182 since the death of the band's longtime producer, Jerry Finn, who last worked with the band in 2003. Feldmann "worshipped" Finn and his approach to producing. "I never thought there'd be anybody that could come even close to replacing Jerry, and John is really the closest that we've come to someone who could fill that capacity," said Hoppus.
  The group initially invited Feldmann to hear its demos, and he suggested that the band regroup at his studio the next day to make a fresh start. The next day, the group wrote three songs, including the lead single "Bored to Death". As the band continued to write and record, the trio chose to shelve their earlier recordings and proceeded to write 28 songs in a period of 3–4 weeks. Half of these songs were chosen to be put on the finalized album, in addition to two joke songs. Barker fought for all 28 songs to be on the album, as he felt fans had waited long enough for more new music. The trio, as well as Feldmann, regularly stayed in the studio for up to 18 hours a day. The band members would arrive at the studio with no plan for what to work on for the day. They would then write several songs in only a few hours, aiming to complete them by the end of the night. Feldmann asked the members to consider what Blink-182, as a group, are all about, to inspire the songwriting. He would encourage the musicians to write with speed, which Hoppus admitted could be frustrating. "John was like, 'Okay: We've got the song structure. Write lyrics. Go in there and sing it. Go in there and sing it.' Sometimes, I was like, 'I'm not ready to sing!' (and Feldmann would reply) 'No. Go write something great right now!'" Barker was more supportive of this method based on his work with the Transplants, which had a similar speedy approach. "I always feel like your first instinct is your best," Barker remarked.
  Feldmann felt it was a challenge to work with a new version of Blink-182 while both keeping its legacy and moving the group into a new territory. Feldmann's "agenda was to have an album that was palatable for a generation of ADD kids." The band members and Feldmann felt a breakthrough in direction with the song "Cynical", which they immediately chose as the opening song on the album. According to Hoppus, the band recorded a total of nearly 50 songs. By mid-February, the album was "70–80%" complete, according to Barker, and work was reportedly completed in early March 2016. By the end of March, the group were still narrowing down the songs that would be present on the album. The trio posted their progress via their respective social media accounts during the recording, in the form of Snapchat and Instagram clips. All parties seemed satisfied with the record. While recording, Barker told an interviewer that "It's honestly the best material we've written or put out in years. I haven't been excited about a Blink album like this in a long time." Feldmann commented, "I'm just so excited to have people hear it. I'd say it's one of the best records I've ever made in my life."
caption: Guitarist and singer Matt Skiba became a full-fledged band member while recording California.
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