He began writing songs about the end of the world, and connected it thematically with the biblical Book of Revelation and World War II. He eventually settled on the name Box Car Racer, which was actually the name of a band Barker was in just after high school that DeLonge liked. The unnamed project went through other names, such as The Kill, and the album was initially titled Et tu, Brute?. "His reasons for starting the band were in part spawned from the dark thoughts he was immersed in post–September 11, the side-effects of the painkillers protecting him from the searing pain of his back problems and a dissatisfaction with the lyrical and musical territory he felt he could with Blink-182."įor DeLonge, he had developed an "itch to do something where he didn't feel locked in to what Blink was." According to DeLonge, Box Car Racer was not "meant to be a real band," but rather "something to do in some spare time that was really only expected to be on the low list of the totem pole of priorities in my life, and just to have an experimental creative outlet." The project was at first solely acoustic guitar-based he considered it in its earliest stages to be a " Violent Femmes-esque acoustic record". They were so tight-inseparable-I couldn't imagine Mark didn't know," Barker writes. "I honestly thought that Tom had already had a conversation with about this. Barker, in his 2015 memoir Can I Say, maintains that he asked DeLonge if they should use the riffs for a new Blink album. He began writing heavier-sounding guitar riffs the first riff he created became part of the song "All Systems Go". DeLonge had previously been derisive of any other styles of music, but soon embraced acts like Fugazi, Quicksand, Rocket from the Crypt, and Pitchfork. On the ensuing tour, he and Blink drummer Travis Barker would jam "every day," and Barker introduced him to post-hardcore music. He began taking painkillers and developed " neurosis-inducing side effects." DeLonge had felt "bummed out" and creatively stifled while recording the group's previous album, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. The trio's European tour in the winter of 2001 was delayed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, and rescheduled dates in early 2002 were also canceled due to DeLonge's back problems, the result of a herniated disc. Tom DeLonge conceived the project during a break from touring.īox Car Racer was conceived by Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge and formed during a break from touring. The group toured the album in North America in late 2002 with the Used and H 2O and subsequently dissolved in 2003 before DeLonge and Barker revived the group in 2021 for a track that was later reworked as a Blink-182 track. The album received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented the darker direction in comparison to DeLonge's previous work with Blink. Despite this, Hoppus provided guest vocals on the album's twelfth track "Elevator".īox Car Racer peaked at number twelve on the US Billboard 200 despite little promotion, and the two singles " I Feel So" and " There Is" charted on Billboard 's Modern Rock Tracks chart, with the former hitting the top 10. Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus-the only member of that band not involved in the project-felt betrayed over his lack of inclusion, which evolved into tensions between him and DeLonge, which contributed to the band's 2005 breakup. The record is a concept album detailing the end of the world, and features dark, moody tracks mulling over confusion. The recording sessions were particularly difficult for him, as he had recently undergone back surgery. The record is primarily based on DeLonge's post-hardcore influences, such as Fugazi and Refused. The band was a side-project of Blink-182 members Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker, with David Kennedy completing the band's studio lineup a bassist and friend of Barker, Anthony Celestino, toured with the band throughout late 2002. Produced by Jerry Finn, the album was released May 21, 2002, through MCA Records. Box Car Racer is the only studio album by American rock band of the same name.
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