While it seems impossible that there are more than a few dozen people around the world who legitimately enjoy listening to Barenaked Ladies’ 1998 single “One Week,” there’s still a lot of love for the snotty pop-punk stylings of Blink-182. Thus, Alex Melton’s recent Barenaked Ladies cover, titled “If Blink 182 Wrote ‘One Week,” offers a sort of litmus test for when, exactly, a song that combines these two influences crosses the line from unremarkable or even enjoyable to the sonic equivalent of having fire ants nest in your ears.
There’s no shortageof Blink-182coversout there already, but Melton’s decision to invert the usual process and instead channel their essence through one of Barenaked Ladies’ wretchedest tracks creates something unique: A test that determines your tolerance for bouncy pop punk, Barenaked Ladies lyrics, and the intersection of these two polarizing sounds.