Blink 182 News: New Album's 2016 Release Date To Be Announced Soon? Matt Skiba Already A Permanent Member?

The latest Blink 182 news claim that the punk trio may soon announce a release date for their highly-anticipated 2016 comeback album.

Late last year, news surfaced that bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker  were parting ways with founding member/guitarist Tom Delonge when he allegedly refused to record a new album with them. According to Rolling Stone, the remaining members later claimed they were going through a "friendly divorce" with Delonge and added that they were releasing the new album in 2016 without him.

Looking for a guitar player to fill in for Delonge, the pair brought in Alkaline Trio frontman Matt Skiba, who not only played on their live shows, but recorded new songs with them as well.

Barker, 40, gave an update on Blink 182's new album's progress.

"Matt's killing it," Barker said in an interview with NME. "He's fun to play with and write with. We're just getting started but I think we've got like four or five songs right now that I'm really, really happy with."

Barker also touched on Skiba's personal stamp on the album.

"They sound different but still the same," Barker explained. "Obviously, it's Matt Skiba singing so there's hints of Alkaline Trio, or at least Matt's contributions to Alkaline Trio, mixed with my drumming and Mark's voice and stuff. It's really cool and I really love what we've done so far." 

After having played quite a number of shows with the group, fans are asking the ultimate question -- has Skiba replaced Delonge as the band's new frontman? The guitarist says it's still too early to tell.

"There's some time and some things that those guys need to figure out before we can start saying I'm a permanent member," Skiba said in a statement published by Alternative Press. "But that is a hope of mine."

At the time of writing, Barker and Hoppus have not yet clarified if Skiba is a permanent member of the group.

Stay tuned for more news on Blink-182's 2016 comback album as updates become available.