Songfacts®:

• The opening track of California, this was the second-to-last song written for the project. The album was recorded at Foxy Studios in early 2016 with producer John Feldmann (Good Charlotte, 5 Days of Summer). He was the group's first new producer since longtime collaborator Jerry Finn. California was also the first album by the band to feature vocalist/guitarist Matt Skiba, who replaced former member Tom DeLonge.
• Feldmann explained the background to the song to Fuse TV: "Mark [Hoppus] had this idea of what people may or may not think about a new version of Blink, with a new member, making a record with a producer - they haven't made a record with a producer in eight or nine years - the idea of thinking the world is in a cynical place in general. He came up with this really cool concept and [Alkaline Trio's Matt] Skiba had the outro, half-time melody in his head and it worked perfectly. We're starting the album out with 'This is who we are, this is what we're doing.'"
• Drummer Travis Barker insisted that he did his part in one take. Take 3 is the version that made the record, despite the fact he thought he'd messed up in the beginning. Mark Hoppus told NME: "Travis is doing this huge drum roll, messes up and screams 'AARGH!' In frustration: We kept that in."
• Fun fact: The original Cynics were members of a school of ancient Greek philosophers. They were contemptuous of wealth, luxury and pleasure, believing that such things distracted from a quest for self-knowledge. Instead they advocated the pursuit of virtue in accordance with a simple and idealistic way of life.