Formation (2004-2005)
Originally, +44 was only going to be a side-project of Blink-182 when Hoppus and Barker were talking about it during the Europe tour in late 2004, when they noted that Tom DeLonge was acting more and more distant and was becoming less interested in Blink-182. However, the events that followed in February 2005 caused +44 to become Mark and Travis' main focus rather than a side-project. The project consisted of elements not usually present in Blink-182's work, namely electronic drums, keyboards, and direct computer recordings. Barker later stated that the electronic element of the band was derived from "155", the first song he and Hoppus wrote as a band.
As work continued on the demos, Get the Girl vocalist Carol Heller was invited by Hoppus and Barker to audition her vocals. Heller's performance was agreeable enough to the band and as a result the three kept working on more songs together. The band's lineup changed again early 2006, with the addition of guitarist Shane Gallagher.
In order to progress with their demos, Barker and Hoppus acquired a studio, a move which marked a "turning point for +44." The band began working solely in the studio they had purchased, playing live drums, guitars and vocals.
The band's sound had started with an electronic element which became less evident, but still remained a key feature. As a result, Heller found she wasn't compatible with the band's direction, and with the addition of her wish to start a family, she left the band. The vocal work that Heller contributed is still present in the songs "Make You Smile", "Weatherman", and the early mix of "No, It Isn't". After this, Hoppus, Barker, and Gallagher were left to find a new backing vocalist. Guitarist Craig Fairbaugh ofMercy Killers then joined the band.
When Your Heart Stops Beating (2006-2007)
As the projected release date started to draw in, speculation on the title of the band's debut album began to circulate. At first, it was believed that the album would be called Little Death as it was listed as such in AP magazine. This was later revealed to be one of the tracks of the album. Hoppus finally settled on When Your Heart Stops Beating. The song "Lycanthrope" was released on the +44 website in early September 2006. This was only the second song that fans had heard other than "No, It Isn't".
Later in September KROQ-FM played the title track of the forthcoming album. The band played their first show on September 7, 2006 at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood; Hoppus stated it was the first show he had performed in two years. The band followed this up by their second show and first ever UK performance at the London Astoria venue. Both shows were met with very encouraging reactions from fans, considering that at that time, only one completely recorded and mastered song, "When Your Heart Stops Beating" had been heard.
The album was released on November 14, 2006 in North America, November 13, 2006 in Europe, and November 11, 2006 in Australia.
During the shooting of the video for "When Your Heart Stops Beating", Travis Barker injured his arm, which was discovered weeks later after playing a whole European promo tour. This forced him to cancel drumming in the upcoming Australia and Europe tours. Gil Sharone filled in for him in these tours.
+44 then covered The Smashing Pumpkins' song "I Am One" for a MySpace tribute to the band and also participated in the iTunes Foreign Exchange. For this they covered Wir sind Helden's song "Guten Tag" with an English translation and Wir sind Helden covered "When Your Heart Stops Beating" in a German translation, entitled "Wenn Dein Herz zu Schlagen Aufhört".
In 2007, +44 set off on the Honda Civic Tour along with Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is..., Paul Wall, and Cobra Starship. During the tour they filmed themselves playing for the music video of their upcoming single "155". On this tour, Victoria Asher from Cobra Starship performed vocals on "Make You Smile", and the band began covering "Dammit," "The Rock Show" and "What's My Age Again?" by Blink-182.
Second studio album (2007-present)
The first mention of +44 pulling out of their European festival and show appearances was on August 6, 2007. The music website NME then released on August 8 with the official reason of studio commitments for their sophomore album. On October 23, 2007, Hoppus stated that +44 had officially signed a deal with Interscope to start recording the new record. On April 9, Hoppus stated that the delay of the second studio album was due to the lack of funding by the label. On May 25, he also stated that the new +44 album was still in pre-production.
On July 30, 2008, Metromix interviewed Barker where he explained about his solo record. When asked about +44, he stated:
"We're going to be a lot more proactive about it after I get my record finished and Mark [Hoppus] finishes producing the two records he's doing this year."
On September 19, 2008, Travis Barker was injured in a plane crash in Columbia, South Carolina. Barker, according to doctors, is expected to make a full recovery within a year.
In an interview with MTV on January 19, 2009, Hoppus stated that he was working on songs for a solo album, with ten songs in various stages of completion. During the interview he neither confirmed nor denied +44 were finished. On February 8, it was announced that Hoppus and Barker's former band,Blink-182, had reunited.
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