When Your Heart Stops Beating

When Your Heart Stops Beating is the only album by the American rock supergroup +44, released on November 13, 2006, by Interscope Records. Formed in 2005 by Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker after Blink-182's breakup, +44 began as an electronic-leaning experiment before expanding into a full band with guitarists Shane Gallagher and Craig Fairbaugh. Conceived during a period of personal and professional upheaval, the album channels the aftermath of the breakup into a sound that fuses guitar-driven pop-punk with gothic new wave, '80s synth textures, and extensive use of keyboards, samples, and programmed beats.

Written largely in basements, dining rooms, and later their own North Hollywood studio, Hoppus described the writing as the most direct of his career—raw, bitter, and transparent about the implosion of his former band and the uncertainty that followed. Its songs toggle between moody electronic passages and explosive rock arrangements, often built on soft-verse/loud-chorus dynamics. Critics noted shades of the Cure, Missing Persons, and the Postal Service. Jerry Finn, who had worked extensively with Blink-182, served as co-producer.

Although anticipated by music press, When Your Heart Stops Beating entered the Billboard 200's top ten yet ultimately fell short of commercial expectations. It received mixed to positive reviews, many praising its honesty and atmosphere while others criticized its proximity to Blink-182's formula. Main singles included the title track, "Lycanthrope" and "Baby Come On". +44 embarked on a worldwide touring schedule across clubs and theaters to support the album. Plans for a second album were scrapped when Hoppus and Barker reunited Blink-182 in 2009.