Alkaline Trio has settled into an unforeseeable maturity—at least by Alkaline Trio standards—and it suits them just fine. Full Bio

From the opening seconds of the title track of Alkaline Trio’s seventh
studio album This Addiction, it appears the Chicago-bred threesome may
have found the place its entire career has been leading. While the
album’s opener blazes at a tempo reminiscent of the band’s 1998 debut
Goddamnit and features a signature Matt Skiba lyric of fatal
co-dependency, the whole affair feels strangely... comfortable? By the
time second track “Dine, Dine My Darling”- -if you don’t get the joke,
it’s probably not worth explaining—kicks in with Dan Andriano providing
his traditionally lighter foil to Skiba’s obsidian musings, it’s clear:
Alkaline Trio has settled into an unforeseeable maturity—at least by
Alkaline Trio standards—and it suits them just fine. ?Whether pervading
the darkly perverse Blue Velvet-inspired strains of Skiba’s “Dorothy” or
Andriano’s sardonic “Fine,” this newfound air of ease owes no small
debut to the circumstances of This Addiction’s release. The album’s Feb.
23, 2010 release will be the first physical manifestation of Alkaline
Trio’s own heart & Skull label, formed in partnership with its
longtime fans and friends at Epitaph Records. Named for the imagery of
the Alkaline Trio logo seen on so much of the band’s album art,
merchandise, and tattooed on the bodies of its Blood Pact fan club
members across the world, Heart & Skull represents the band members’
new level of control of their own destiny (all three are partners in
the label). Having released its previous albums through virtually every
other label permutation the business has had to offer—early EPs and
albums on tiny indies Johann’s Face and Asian Man, hundreds of thousands
of records sold on Vagrant, and 2008’s Agony & Irony, the band’s
highest charting record to date, released by Epic—Alkaline Trio finally
and truly feels at home. ?“Taking control of our own label situation was
something we always wanted to do but never thought was possible,” says
Skiba. “But now thanks to Brett Gurewitz and the fine folks at Epitaph,
it is. All three of us in Alkaline Trio have always had the utmost
respect for the music and the work ethic of the Epitaph, Anti- and
Hellcat family and now we’re honored to be working together under one
big happy roof. Heart & Skull/Epitaph is truly a dream come true for
us.” ?Andriano adds, “For our band at this time it really makes sense
to release our own records, but we wanted to make sure we could partner
up with good people who we would want to share in something very special
to us. When Brett called and said he wanted to be involved, that was
it. Epitaph is a label I’ve admired and supported for more than half of
my life! I couldn’t be more excited for how this is turning out!” ?As
big as an impact as the building of the Heart & Skull/Epitaph dream
home may have had, This Addiction would still be Alkaline Trio at its
most confident and accomplished. Fans who caught the band on its 2009
tour witnessed the live debut of highlights including the title track,
“Dead On The Floor” and the aforementioned “Dorothy” and “Dine, Dine My
Darling,” all of which built on already rabid anticipation for the
record. What’s been delivered has exceeded fans—and the
band’s—expectations. From the vintage Alk3-style workouts of “Off The
Map” and “Piss and Vinegar” to the gloomily expansive “Draculina,” the
entire record is stellar, the kind of classic punk confection whose 35
or so minutes whiz by all too fast, virtually demanding repeated
listens. ?Then there’s This Addiction centerpiece “The American Scream.”
Highlighting every previous Alkaline Trio strength and evincing some
the band members may not have previously known they had, “The American
Scream” may well be the closest thing to a definitive Alkaline Trio
anthem. As the son of two Vietnam veterans, the song’s inspiration held
particular significance for Skiba: “’The American Scream' was inspired
by a story I read in the news of an American soldier returning from a
tour of duty overseas and committing suicide at his mother's gravesite.
The suicide was believed to be a result of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder and the soldier's inability to return to ‘normal’ life after
experiencing the atrocities of war. It's not a protest song or
intentionally politica Hide Bio