Enema of The State - Recording and Production

Recording and Production

MCA gave the band their first serious recording budget, and Blink-182 began work on Enema of the State in October 1998. The band had not been in a studio in two years and was anxious to record new material. The band returned to DML Studios to write new songs, where the band had previously spent time writing songs for their second record, Dude Ranch. The band spent much more time in the studio than on previous records, allowing them to try many different things. DeLonge and Hoppus wrote the lyrics for the album, and Barker contributed to the music, co-writing the compositions. Barker would drive down each day from Riverside to take part in the writing process. Very satisfied with the results, the band completed writing in two weeks. Don Lithgow, owner and operator of DML Studios, recalled that the band's celebrity has increased considerably during the recording process: " was different than their other sessions - girls hanging around outside, calling their friends on cell phones. All the kids wanted autographs. They'd unlock the doors and let kids into the studio, which most bands would never do."

When the band completed writing and recording demos for the songs, the band headed to Los Angeles to record drum tracks at Chick Corea's Mad Hatter Studios in January 1999, and Barker completed the tracks in only a few days. The recording process for the album was completed over a period of four months, and production was handled at several production facilities in southern California, including Signature Sound and Studio West in San Diego, Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, and Conway Recording Studios and The Bomb Factory in Los Angeles. Hoppus recalled that pressure was on the band to record a follow-up to Dude Ranch, which had at that time just gone gold. To record Enema of the State, Blink-182 turned to punk rock producer Jerry Finn, who previously worked on Green Day's breakthrough album, Dookie (1994). The band was impressed with his work when they recorded "Mutt" for its placement on the American Pie soundtrack. Finn was harder on the band to record better takes, and Hoppus credited Finn with knowing a great deal about punk rock music, but also helping the band establish a more pop-inspired sound. In addition, the band had so much fun with Finn that there were days when very little work was accomplished: "Recording can get pretty monotonous, but at least we could laugh with Jerry," recalled Hoppus. "A pretty typical day would involve multiple takes for one part of one song, and then everyone would get naked and jump on Jerry." The band chose "never to work with anyone else again," and Finn would produce their next three releases.

Recording completed in February 1999 and the band was enormously proud of the record. "When it was done, we were so stoked. It was like a masterpiece for our band," remembered DeLonge. "We knew this was going to be the best thing we ever did." Hoppus felt the band achieved the purest, cleanest sound on the record that they had been striving for. Finn felt similarly, proud of his work on the record and believing in retrospect that the album would appeal to the masses. As the album was recorded on analog tape, the band put enormous trust into Finn to give the record the polished pop sound they wanted, recalled DeLonge in 2012. "The Party Song" was the final song to be completed, and the band was mixing the song coincidentally when lead single "What's My Age Again?" premiered on Los Angeles-based radio station KROQ. Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., best known for his work with Beck, played keyboards for several songs on the album. After production completed, the album was mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.