When Your Heart Stops Beating

By 2004, Blink-182, consisting of bassist Mark Hoppus, guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker, had achieved significant commercial success in the mainstream. The band had taken a brief break in late 2001 when DeLonge suffered a herniated disc in his back, during which time he collected several darker musical ideas he felt unsuitable for Blink-182, compiling them into a record, Box Car Racer. The album, recorded with the help of Hazen Street guitarist and longtime friend David Kennedy, was intended as a one-time experimental project but evolved into a full-fledged band upon Barker's involvement. The side project would cause great division between DeLonge and Hoppus, who felt "betrayed." The trio embarked on a European tour the following autumn. DeLonge became uncomfortable with the hefty touring schedule, during which he was unable to see his family. He eventually expressed his desire to take a half-year respite from touring in order to spend more time with family. Hoppus and Barker protested his decision, which they felt was an overly long break. DeLonge did not blame his bandmates for being disappointed with his requests, but was dismayed that they could not seemingly understand. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, DeLonge agreed to perform at Music for Relief's Concert for South Asia, a benefit show to aid victims. Further arguments ensued during rehearsals, rooted in the band member's increasing paranoia and bitterness toward one another. He considered his bandmates priorities "mad, mad different", and the breakdown in communication led to heated exchanges, resulting in his exit from the group. Geffen announced on February 22, 2005 that Blink-182 would be going on an "indefinite hiatus." Label president Jordan Schur reportedly advised Barker to downplay events in the press. Hoppus and Barker began developing new songs with near immediacy following the band's implosion, When the two regrouped, they decided to stop giving interviews about the new project. "It was strange to be talking about music that we were just in the very first steps of writing," recalled Hoppus. "It didn’t feel right to talk about yet." The band's name is a reference to the country code needed when placing a phone call to the United Kingdom, where Hoppus and Barker first discussed making music alone. "When we first started talking about ever doing anything outside of Blink was on the last European tour where Tom was telling us that he needed to take a year off from the band. […] We never did anything about it until Tom quit the band, but that's where it first started," said Hoppus. ==Recording and production==

The addition of other members to +44 came gradually. Both Hoppus and Barker were wary of making their new outfit anything like their previous band, and Barker suggested adding a woman to the fold would "really change it up". He invited his friend Carol Heller of the all-girl punk quartet Get the Girl to write with the band. Barker had first met Heller in his early days living with promoter Bill Fold. The band considered many producers for the album, among those Danger Mouse. Eventually, the record was produced by Hoppus and Barker, with longtime associate and friend Jerry Finn in the role of executive producer. Finn came in late into production to oversee completion, but eventually contributed heavily to the album's writing. Producer Dan the Automator was called in to "tinker" with a track. Barker programmed his electronic parts on the SP-1200 drum machine. The artwork of the jewel case pictures the words "When Your Heart Stops Beating" in black with the letters "ART" of "heart" standing out in blue. ==Composition==

Music Musically, +44 was envisioned as a natural extension of the songwriting evolution Hoppus and Barker had begun in blink-182—melding punk roots with electronic textures and elements of '80s new wave. The music of the album is influenced by artists such as the Postal Service, Missing Persons, and the Cure. The album experiments with unusual song structure and temperaments, and the first six tracks of the album alternate between uptempo rock songs and ballads. According to Corey Apar of AllMusic, +44's original electronic influence is evident in the music, although it has "ultimately [taken] a backseat to guitar-driven rock". Ben Yates of Drowned in Sound felt that the album started strong with Blink-182-esque songs, however delved into "emo choruses and handed-down pop-punk riffs" for the bulk of the tracklist. while Apar of felt it was alternative rock. Song analysis The record opens with "Lycanthrope", which was intended to introduce the band but leave the listener guessing. "Baby Come On" was written halfway through the recording process and serves as an assessment of "what the band is about." It contains electronic drums and synthesizers that thicken a slow build throughout the track. The title track, "When Your Heart Stops Beating", features "snotty, mid-range British-sounding Telecasters" and was inspired by the story of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen — "you love your lady and outside of that, fuck everything else," according to Hoppus. "Little Death" is a moody, lo-fi song that went through numerous changes throughout the recording, beginning in Barker's basement. It was intended as an allegory to what Hoppus and Barker dealt with after the breakup of Blink-182. Hoppus felt both "hopeful and defeated" while writing the song, and intended to make it an appreciation of life after hard events. In addition, he was inspired by the various methods of communication in the 21st century, and how they can often result in too much or too little conversation, especially among loved ones. "155" is a heavily layered synth-driven track that contains handclaps and "Cure-esque guitars." The handclaps were Barker's idea, who noticed its prevalence in hip-hop songs and wanted to incorporate into a rock song. "Lillian" features programmed drums and acoustic guitars, and was inspired by Hoppus' residence in San Diego, before the move to Los Angeles. "I lived in a part of San Diego that's one of the most beautiful places in the country, but it's also one of the most evil sickening places," said Hoppus. "People are just ugly to one another." The title was inspired by a woman who started a strict homeowners association in the city. "Cliff Diving" was inspired by Hoppus' teenage summers growing up, where he would embark upon his friend's house and dive into the pool from the rooftop. The track is therefore about "embracing the unknown," further incorporating influence from the breakup of Blink-182 and the beginnings of +44. "Interlude" is most representative of the earliest work Hoppus and Barker put together. It was placed as a musical break to separate the upbeat pop punk track "Cliffdiving" and the record's "darkest" song, "Weatherman". That track is another early composition that was written directly following the breakup of Blink-182. "I was driving to Travis' house and the whole Blink thing had just gone down […] We had been talking about making a really dark, dirty song." The song was launched from the line "Just let me slip away, I'm barely holding on," and the music was intended to reflect that theme. The song most directly inspired by the end of Blink-182 is "No, It Isn't", which was also inspired by feelings of betrayal afterward. "[The song] is about coming out a year later and telling the truth," Barker said. "For a year, people were saying that what Tom did was valid or called for. It eats at you. So maybe you have to talk about it, and maybe you have to write a song about it." The Postal Service influence is noticeable in "Make You Smile", which makes frequent use of boy-girl exchange and lament. The song was initially dubbed "Puppy Killing Machine" — a name created by Heller that Hoppus deemed "so ridiculous" in relation to its upbeat, poppy nature. The anthemic "Chapter 13" closes the record and was inspired from chapter 13 of ''Dante's Inferno'', which revolves around suicide. "I had this image in my head of a guy seeing a woman across a crowded room and in that instant, he knows exactly what's going to happen: He falls in love with her, goes crazy, and kills himself in a hotel room," said Hoppus. "That's a good way to end the album, huh?" ==Promotion==

preferred keeping a low profile during promotion, avoiding interviews and letting the music speak for itself rather than engaging in media hype. The release date for When Your Heart Stops Beating was heavily anticipated and publicized by the music press. As early as August 2005, Internet rumors began to circulate that the album would be released in January 2006 although the band's management denied the claims. Thanks to the duo's lack of press interviews, misinformation spread via the Internet in the months prior to the record's release, including fake songs purporting to be leaked tracks.{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1536871/hoppus-barker-break-silence-on-plus44-blink.jhtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129091943/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1536871/hoppus-barker-break-silence-on-plus44-blink.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 29, 2013|title=Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker Break Plus-44 Silence, Talk 'The Real Tom' Hoppus did not give any formal interviews before shortly prior to the release of the album, instead spending time updating his blog, producing tracks for Motion City Soundtrack, and working on the album in relative secrecy. "During that time, their former bandmate, Tom DeLonge, did the opposite, peppering blogs and magazines with quotes hyping his new band and putting the blame for the Blink situation squarely on their shoulders," reported James Montgomery of MTV News. While it "pained" them to do so, Hoppus and Barker refrained from speaking to media, instead focusing on the recording process. "We just bit our tongues and didn't say anything, and now that the record is done, we get the chance to tell the truth about everything," Hoppus said. "We were silent for a year, and we couldn't put into words what we were doing, so we just decided not to say anything and let the music speak for itself," Barker added. "Now it's time for people to hear that music and hear the truth." Commercially and logistically, +44 represented a sharp reset. In his memoir, Hoppus notes that the band no longer benefited from Blink-182’s built-in momentum: radio stations that once championed Blink now required constant promotion, and early performances ranged from small showcases to radio-station events far removed from the scale he was used to. Hoppus writes that the contrast highlighted how far he had fallen in the music industry and how much work it would take to re-establish himself: "All the supports and safety nets we had in place were suddenly gone. [...] People knew the name blink-182, but who the hell was +44? It felt like I was giving the world a math problem." ==Reception==

Commercial performance When Your Heart Stops Beating debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 in the United States on November 22, 2006, moving 66,000 copies in its opening week. It also peaked at number two on the magazine's Top Rock Albums chart, Critical response The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. AbsolutePunks Drew Beringer deemed the album "a very diverse and potent debut album", and suggesting it as "one of the most honest records of 2006". and The Gauntlet called the record the best post-Blink project. Jenny Eliscu of Rolling Stone criticized the album's lack of electronic content, and dismissed much of its content as derivative of Blink-182. Trevor Baker of Rock Sound deemed the album "by far the most personal, vitriolic, and self-indulgent thing that Mark and Travis have ever done. In a good way and in a bad way." Pat Revyr of Deseret News named When Your Heart Stops Beating superior to former bandmate Tom DeLonge's new project, Angels & Airwaves' ''We Don't Need to Whisper, and Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times described it as "zippier and catchier" than Whisper. Both Rolling Stone and The New York Times opined that both groups, however, paled in comparison to Blink-182. The Avion Newspaper declared the band as "undoubtedly original [...] and sure to please with every track". Channing Freeman of Sputnikmusic called the album "standard pop punk music", stating it was not a large departure from Blink-182. NME'' wrote that "There are more ideas here than Blink-182 had in an entire career [...] It's just that they're the same ideas that Jimmy Eat World had on their last LP." Q was particularly underwhelmed by the record, criticizing Hoppus's vocals: "Hoppus, whose flat vocals once dovetailed deftly with [Tom] DeLonge's nasal whine, is sorely exposed as a sole frontman." Ian Winwood of Kerrang! deemed the music boring, writing, "+44 are accomplished and adept, and sometimes they're even very good. But never, not once, are they exciting." ==Touring==

The tour in support of When Your Heart Stops Beating served as the band's sole major outing before the project came to an end. +44's first show took place at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood on September 7, 2006 with a second appearance following at the London Astoria. The band embarked on a promotional tour of the United Kingdom shortly thereafter. Barker broke a bone in his arm during the band's music video shoot but managed to complete the performances, altering his kit set-up to accommodate. "He is now using his left foot as his right arm, Def Leppard style," confirmed Hoppus. Doctors advised Barker to rest and not take part in the band's upcoming live dates, including early 2007 jaunts to Australia and Europe. Ultimately, Barker took part for three shows, but following a performance in Amsterdam, the band invited Gil Sharone, then of the Dillinger Escape Plan, to fill-in for the remainder of the dates. The tour continued in Australia and Japan, where the band busied themselves with press junkets and appearances. Crowds were, according to journalist Joe Shooman, mainly Blink-182 fans. In his later memoir, Hoppus described touring for +44 as difficult. While he outwardly maintained that he enjoyed the return to smaller clubs at the time, it was a largely demoralizing affair. When the band headlined its own shows, they were often in the same clubs and theaters blink-182 had played a decade earlier. Financially, the tours were tough; according to Hoppus, most of them lost significant amounts of money, even as the band operated with a stripped-down crew and minimal production. For Hoppus, the entire experience underscored how dramatically his career had shifted. The band's last major tour, the Honda Civic Tour, took place from April to June 2007 across the US and Canada alongside Fall Out Boy, the Academy Is… and Paul Wall. The band began including Blink songs—"What's My Age Again?" and "The Rock Show"—into setlists, despite the band's stance against doing so months before. "Travis and I love our history with Blink-182, and it seems a shame to let those songs sit dormant forever because of what happened two years ago," said Hoppus on his blog. Hoppus later joined Panic! at the Disco on one date for an acoustic run-through of "What's My Age Again?". Further August 2007 dates were postponed for unclear reasons; Hoppus stated the band had decided to re-enter the studio in preparation of a second studio album. Blink-182 reunited in February 2009 and Hoppus confirmed in an interview with Alternative Press that +44 was on hiatus: "I don't consider it done. We'll never say never with anything," he remarked. "As soon as you say, 'I'm not gonna do that anymore,' you find yourself in a situation where you wanna do that. Shane [Gallagher] and Craig [Fairbaugh] are awesome guitarists and great fun to play in a band with, so we definitely won't say that the band is done. But obviously, for the foreseeable future, all of our energy is going into Blink-182." ==Track listing==

Original release ;Bonus tracks • Japanese release includes the "When Your Heart Stops Beating" music video. ==Personnel==

;+44 • Mark Hoppus – lead vocals, bass guitar, additional guitar, producer • Shane Gallagher – lead guitar • Travis Barker – drums, percussion, keyboards, producer • Craig Fairbaugh – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards ;Additional musicians • Carol Heller – rhythm guitar, vocals, and additional writing on "No, It Isn't" and "Make You Smile" • Chris Holmes – additional keyboards and programming • Dan the Automator – additional keyboards and programming • Kevin Bivona – additional keyboards and programming ;Artwork • Chris Siglin & Maxx242 – album art • Estevan Oriol – photography ;Production • Jerry Finn – co-producer, mixing • Chris Holmes – engineer, mixing on "Interlude" • James Ingram – assistant engineer • Chris Lord-Alge – mixing on "155" • Brian Gardner – mastering • Mark Williams – A&R ;Management • Eric Hellman, Irving Azoff and Jonathan Kalter – Management for Azoffmusic • Peter Paterno and Leslie Frank – Legal for King • Darryl Eaton – Booking for CAA • Steve Zapp & Rod MacSween – International booking for ITB • Chris Siglin & Bruce Fingeret – Merchandise for FEA • Mike Harris & Andy Harrison, Terry Doty & Gary Haber – Accounting for Paragon Business Management, Haber Corporation ==Charts==