Tom DeLonge Thanks Matt Skiba For Saving Blink-182

Tom DeLonge has posted a heartfelt thank you to the man who replaced him in blink-182, Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba. 

Taking to social media on the morning of the release of blink-182's new single Edging, DeLonge reflects on the role that Skiba has played in blink-182 since DeLonge exited the group back in 2015. 

"Hi Matt – Tom DeLonge here. I wanted to take a minute and say thank you for all that you have done to keep the band alive and thriving in my absence. I think you are enormously talented (I still love to listen to your band to this day). You have always been so kind to me, not only in the press, but also to others. I really noticed. Emotions between the three of us in Blink have always been complicated, but Mark’s cancer really put things in perspective. But to be honest, the band would not even be here today if it were not for your ability to jump in and save the day. So from my heart to yours, thank you for being a member of our band.”

DeLonge's post comes days after the public confirmation that he had reunited with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, seemingly ending Skiba's involvement with the group. Skiba contributed to the last two full-length blink-182 records, California and Nine.

blink-182 shared a new single Edging, this morning, with the newly returned Tom DeLonge's instantly identifiable voice all over it. 

The first song to feature the classic lineup of Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, since 2012, the jovial mid-tempo pop-punk track comes to life with Tom's trademark vocal tone delivering the first line "I ain’t that cool a little fucked in the head" over a swinging beat from Barker, his voice taking a leading role against a backdrop of subtle guitar and bass work, before taking off with an earworm of a chorus that features Tom and Mark's infamous vocal interplay. As Hoppus and DeLonge trade vocal duties for the remainder of the track and Barker lays down some unexpectedly restrained, yet technical beats, the trio's chemistry comes to the forefront, showcasing exactly why fans had been clamouring for DeLonge to return to the group he departed in 2015. Listen to Edging below. 

The pop-punk legends will embark on their “biggest tour ever” in March, performing in Latin America with Wallows before a massive run of shows across North America with Turnstile and dates all across Europe with The Story So Far before playing next year’s When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas and finally making their way to Australia and New Zealand in February 2024 with Rise Against. Tickets for the Australian leg of that tour are on sale now.

The band were also announced as co-headliners of the stacked 2023 edition of the Las Vegas punk nostalgia-fuelled festival When We Were Young. 

Hoppus has shared his excitement with the world about Tom's return on his weekly Apple Music podcast, After School Radio, revealing, "Yes, it's happening. blink-182, world tour, new music, new album. Tom's back. Man, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. That was a burden to carry that secret for so long."

Now Edging has arrived and Tom has finally come, all that's left to do for fans is to wait for the promised new album to drop next year. 

BLINK-182 2024 AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Feb 9 – Perth, Western Australia – RAC Arena

Feb 11 – Adelaide, South Australia – Entertainment Centre

Feb 13 – Melbourne, Victoria – Rod Laver Arena

Feb 16 – Sydney, New South Wales – Qudos Bank Arena

Feb 19 – Brisbane, Queensland – Entertainment Centre