Origins, Music and Concept
Box Car Racer was formed by Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge in late 2001 as a side project with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. Blink-182 producer Jerry Finn was called to produce the album. The two wrote all of the material themselves and recruited David Kennedy from Hazen Street to complete the lineup. The band recorded Box Car Racer during the winter of 2001/2002. According to DeLonge in interviews, the album’s recording sessions were difficult for him because of constant back pain. Blink-182 had previously canceled tour dates in fall 2001 due to DeLonge’s back problems.
The album, unlike any previous material DeLonge and Barker had created, follows a central storyline. Box Car Racer follows an unnamed boy during the end of the world. Only two songs deviate from the album’s central storyline, the humorous "My First Punk Song", which pays tribute to early hardcore punk bands that inspired DeLonge, such as Gorilla Biscuits, and "Elevator", which was written in the aftermath of September 11 attacks. Mark Hoppus, the bassist from Blink-182, provided guest vocals on "Elevator" as did Tim Armstrong and Jordan Pundik, of Rancid and New Found Glory respectively, on "Cat Like Thief".
The music of the album is much different than any previous Blink-182 album, closely following a much darker and moody tone. According to DeLonge, he used Box Car Racer as an outfit to experiment with ideas that were not "Blink-friendly". Blink-182, in stark contrast to the themes of Box Car Racer, was known for typical sophomoric humor and toilet gags.
It has been suggested that the album’s music was a precursor of things to come for Blink-182, whose next album, Blink-182, also contained much darker and more atmospheric music than any previous studio recordings. After the breakup of Blink-182, Tom DeLonge formed Angels & Airwaves, which he has called "a continuation of Box Car Racer". Angels & Airwaves has played various songs from Box Car Racer during live shows.
Read more about this topic: Box Car Racer (album), Background and Recording
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