23/10/2024
Box Car Racer was an American Pop-punk band formed in San Diego, California, in 2001. The band was a side-project of Blink-182 members Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker, with David Kennedy of Hazen Street completing the band's studio lineup. A bassist and friend of Barker, Anthony Celestino later joined the band as a bassist. DeLonge created the project to pursue darker ideas he felt unsuited to his work with Blink-182.
The group recorded the band's eponymous debut, Box Car Racer, in quick fashion with a more DIY spirit. MCA Records issued the band's lone release in May 2002, which peaked on the Billboard 200 at number 12. Singles "I Feel So" and "There Is" also charted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, with the former peaking at number eight. The band embarked on their sole headlining tour across North America in the fall of 2002 with supporting act The Used. The project was largely the cause of ongoing tension between DeLonge and Blink-182 bandmate Mark Hoppus and influenced the band's following studio album, the more experimental Blink-182 (2003). DeLonge ended the project in mid-2003, considering it to have served its purpose; however, DeLonge's later band, Angels & Airwaves (which also features Kennedy), has been described by DeLonge as a continuation of Box Car Racer. From 2018 to 2021, the project had been revived by DeLonge and Barker with a new song getting recorded what later would become "Terrified". Barker confirmed in 2023 that the song would not be released, instead having it been reworked for Blink-182.
Box Car Racer was recorded over the course of six weeks beginning in December 2001, primarily at Signature Sound in San Diego, California. Rather than spend "months and months refining and polishing everything for a major label and international pop market," Box Car Racer followed a closer DIY spirit. Sessions for the album commenced quickly, with the "ever-resourceful" Jerry Finn having sent one whole load of equipment to Signature ahead of his arrival. Barker recorded his drums in one day at two separate recording facilities in Los Angeles prior to the Signature sessions. MCA representatives dropped in on the recording sessions and were pleased with what they heard. According to journalist Joe Shooman, while Box Car Racer was "essentially an outlet for DeLonge's more esoteric leanings, it very quickly became obvious that this was an album destined for release," largely due to Blink-182's explosive popularity at the time. "Any musical project with which any member was involved was very likely to fly off the shelves." "I don't think there was ever a doubt it was gonna be released — you have a project with two members of Blink-182 on it, it's pretty hard not to turn a profit on that," said engineer Sam Boukas. "I guess if the record company wasn't going to foot the bill, they were quite prepared to foot it themselves for Box Car Racer."
The creation of the Box Car Racer side project would cause great division in Blink-182, mostly between DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus. Hoppus was very interested in being a part of the project, but DeLonge did not want the record to turn into another Blink-182 album. DeLonge contended that the invitation of Barker was to refrain from having to pay a studio drummer. Regardless, Hoppus felt betrayed on the side project and it would become an unresolved tension that followed the band for the following few years. "At the end of 2001 it felt like Blink-182 had broken up. It wasn't spoken about, but it felt over," he said later. Despite tensions between the two, Hoppus lent vocals to the track "Elevator" and shared early ideas for the next Blink-182 album.
