Alkaline Trio serves up another helping of Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs in the form of “Bad Time,” the darkly melodic second track to be released from their 10th album, due January 26th, 2024 on Rise Records.
“Bad Time” follows last month’s unveiling of the album’s frenetic title track — hailed by Consequence for its “fresh approach” and by Brooklyn Vegan as “classic Alkaline Trio… their grim yet catchy punk sounds as unmistakable as ever” — with a more subdued yet no less intense vibe. This makes perfect sense, as the lyrics find Trio guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba finding the eyes of multiple storms in the form of the same friend’s voice:
“‘Bad Time’ was initially inspired by a friend and crush who happened to call me while I was on tour in El Paso, Texas as an active shooter situation was happening just across from where we were staying. We could hear gunshots and sirens as the situation escalated. My friend asked if it was a bad time to talk, and I said no — I really wanted to speak with her. It was actually a terrible and terrifying time, but it was never a bad time to hear her voice. The second verse goes back to a time in Chicago when my roommate Bobby and I were almost killed in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting — high as kites on mushrooms. We lived in a neighbourhood run by Latin Kings at the time of the shooting, so I referenced those facts as well as how nice it would have been to hear from the same girl back then.”
The “Bad Time” video sees Alkaline Trio reunited with director Ravi Dahr, who previously turned the song “Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs” into an apocalyptic skate-zombie (empty) pool party. “Working again with Ravi and his beautiful team has been a lot of work but even more fun,” says Skiba. “We spent the short time we had to put this together, brainstorming and sending links, photos, and film references. It’s not every day I meet someone who loves Dario Argento or Stanley Kubrick or Kenneth Anger and so on as much as I do. Ravi did all the actual, real work on this thing, but I love being involved and hope that I helped to paint this beautiful picture.”
Recorded with GRAMMY-winning producer Cameron Webb at Studio 606 in Northridge CA, Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs finds Alkaline Trio stripping its sound down to the skin and bones of its unmistakable sonic spirit while taking that dark essence to parts previously unknown. In addition to being a darkly shining exemplar of the Trio’s signature blend of wry lyrical wit and bittersweet melodic sensibility, Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs arrives in a confluence of endings and beginnings—it’s both the first album to be released via the band’s new label home, Rise Records, and the last to feature longtime member Derek Grant, drummer on every Alkaline Trio record since 2003’s classic Good Mourning.
See below for Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs’ tracklist, as well as a full list of upcoming US live dates (with support from Drug Church), on which Skiba and bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano will be joined by veteran drummer Atom Willard (Against Me!, Rocket from the Crypt).
ALKALINE TRIO
Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs
Tracklist:
Hot For Preacher
Meet Me
Versions Of You
Bad Time
Scars
Break
Shake With Me
Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs
Hinterlude
Broken Down In A Time Machine
Teenage Heart
Pre-order the album HERE
North American Tour 2024
(DRUG CHURCH supports on all dates)
Thu — Feb 22, 2024 — Anaheim, CA — HOB Anaheim
Fri — Feb 23, 2024 — San Diego, CA — SOMA
Sat — Feb 24, 2024 — Phoenix, AZ — Van Buren
Mon — Feb 26, 2024 — Dallas, TX — HOB Dallas
Tue — Feb 27, 2024 — Austin, TX — Stubbs
Wed — Feb 28, 2024 — Houston, TX — HOB Houston
Fri — Mar 1, 2024 — Atlanta, GA — Tabernacle
Sat — Mar 2, 2024 — Orlando, FL — HOB Orlando
Sun — Mar 3, 2024 — Charlotte, NC — Fillmore
Tue — Mar 5, 2024 — Washington D.C. — Fillmore Silver Spring
Wed — Mar 6, 2024 — Philadelphia, PA — Fillmore Philadelphia
Fri — Mar 8, 2024 — Cleveland, OH — Agora Theater and Ballroom
Sat — Mar 9, 2024 — Queens, NY — Knockdown Center
Sun — Mar 10, 2024 — Boston, MA — HOB Boston
Tue — Mar 12, 2024 — Toronto, ON — History
Wed — Mar 13, 2024 — Montreal, QC — Beanfield
Fri — Mar 15, 2024 — Royal Oak, MI — Royal Oak Music Theatre
Sat — Mar 16, 2024 — Chicago, IL — Aragon Ballroom
Sun — Mar 17, 2024 — St. Louis, MO — The Pageant
Mon — Mar 18, 2024 — Minneapolis, MN — Fillmore Minneapolis
Wed — Mar 20, 2024 — Denver, CO — Fillmore Auditorium
Thu — Mar 21, 2024 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Complex
Sat — Mar 23, 2024 — Seattle, WA — Showbox SoDo
Sun — Mar 24, 2024 — Vancouver, BC — Vogue Theatre
Mon — Mar 25, 2024 — Portland, OR — Crystal Ballroom
Wed — Mar 27, 2024 — San Francisco, CA — The Masonic
Fri — Mar 29, 2024 — Los Angeles, CA — Novo
Sat — Mar 30, 2024 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
