“Meet your new mom!” Mark Hoppus has exclaimed while introducing Matt Skiba at likely every Blink 182 concert over the last 16 months.

It’s a hard pill to swallow for many fans of one of pop punk’s biggest bands. When you’re a power trio, it’s tough to lose a member. When you’re a three-piece with two singers, it’s virtually impossible to replace anyone other than the non-vocalist (and Travis Barker isn’t going anywhere anytime soon).

So does Blink 182 sound the same on California as they did with Tom DeLonge? No. But that’s not really a bad thing. Here are a handful of reasons California actually benefitted from the change in guitar-wielding singers. 

It Sounds More Like Old Blink 182

Although many Blink fans accepted the band’s recent releases like Neighborhoods and Dogs Eating Dogs, few saw them in the same light as the group’s pre-hiatus records. Considering they’ve always been three dudes who specialize in immature humor and not taking themselves too seriously, Blink’s more recent music had been closer to U2 or Angels and Airwaves than the inappropriate pop punk of old. You'll likely never hear a song like "Family Reunion" again, but California is a lot closer to Take Off Your Pants and Jacket than most of the music they've put out since then. Skiba isn't trying to do a DeLonge impersonation, but he currently sounds more like DeLonge from 10 years ago than the Angels and Airwaves singer does. No wonder Barker said this is his favorite album they've released in the last decade.

The Songs Are Musically Fresher Than Recent Albums

When you get the same people playing together for over two decades, a lot of the music starts to sound the same. Even as Blink 182 evolved and changed from one album to the next, everything still sounded like Blink. Skiba's worked on projects ranging from electronic to pop music outside of his mainstay of Alkaline Trio, and he brings a new sound and vibe to California as a whole. From songwriting to strum patterns, there's stuff Blink's doing in 2016 that they've literally never done before. Some of the dubs and tuned vocals of the last few albums are still there, but California certainly doesn't rely on them as much thanks to Skiba's input.

There’s No Subtext of Animosity

To their credit, no one in Blink ever seemed to let the growing rift inside of the band affect the music much at all. Live shows still contained the wildly inappropriate banter between DeLonge and Hoppus, and they were all doing their best to stay together for the kids. At the same time, it always seemed like there'd be "Tom songs" and "Mark songs." While Blink 182 will likely never be the band singing in perfect harmony, the tracks on California seem like they were written in more or less the same room. Considering Skiba only recently passed his one-year anniversary with the band, the level of cohesion on the record is impressive. It feels like this is the culmination of all those years as two of the three dominant trios in pop punk.

Live Performances Sound Better Than Ever

Although Skiba's pretty quiet between songs during concerts (so far, at least), the band sounds better musically than it ever has before. Thanks largely to the newest member's guitar skills and attention to detail, Blink 182 live sounds more like Blink 182 albums (and anyone who's seen the band in the past knows that's a feat). Maybe it's because he's not focused on the banter and laughter or maybe he's just a more professional musician, but Skiba's guitar work has been spot-on at every Blink concert in SoCal and clip available on the internet. Having Hoppus as the only one messing around during sets helps balance out the humor and energy with actual top-notch musicianship.

Skiba’s Talents Shine Through

Not to take anything away from DeLonge, but Skiba's an awful good guitarist, an elite songwriter and a more than capable replacement from a band that many of Blink's fans are plenty familiar with. Although anyone expecting an Alkaline Trio album will be sadly disappointed, Skiba's skills and style are apparent throughout California in the best ways possible. Will Skiba remain a Blink 182 fixture for the next decade or two (or more)? No one knows. But he's a perfect fit for now, and California is a prime example of that.