Alkaline Trio – E.P.

The music industry has been particularly hard hit in this time of COVID-19.  With the decline in record sales and migration of consumers to streaming services, bands have had to rely heavily on tours for revenue.  Countless bands of all sizes have had to indefinitely postpone their tour schedules and turn to self isolation, just like the rest of us.  It’s led to some creative alternate sources of revenue, such as live streaming concerts, Bandcamp fundraisers, and raiding the pantry for unreleased tracks to tide fans over.  

Long running Chicago, Illinois gothic punkers Alkaline Trio were forced to cancel their spring tour due to national social distancing measures, so instead turned to placating disappointed fans with the release of their three song E.P..  The generically titled impromptu release features a trio of songs that break the band down to their most essential form.  The first track, “Minds Like Minefields,” serves as your quintessential Matt Skiba offering. Featuring his signature dark style, Skiba sings in his artistically morbid tone, building gloomy imagery amidst a backdrop of strategically tuned production that lands somewhere between Skiba’s side project, Matt Skiba and the Sekrets, and the slicker production of the band’s Crimson era.  The second track, “Radio Violence,” serves as Dan Andriano’s time to shine with a sonically uplifting track that hops along with a little instrumental bounce in its step, not unlike “Pale Blue Ribbon” from their recent LP, Is This Thing Cursed.  Skiba and Andriano’s distinctive styles have always uniquely defined Alkaline Trio, and these two tracks exemplify that dichotomy perfectly.  

Where the EP really comes together is for the final track, “Smokestack,” which is a purely acoustic offering with Andriano taking lead vocals.  The simple acoustic style is reminiscent of Andriano’s solo offerings from Dan Andriano and the Emergency Room.  “Smokestack” has a sufficiently upbeat rhythm to its strumming that feels like a relative to Andriano’s song, “Hollow Sounds.”  The track feels sufficiently personal, with the band leaving behind much of the showmanship for raw and genuinely reflective piece that stands as a testament to the band’s growth over the past decade.

Alkaline Trio has released three tracks during a time of global crisis that gives fans a moment of distraction from daily COVID-19 headlines.  The EP is nothing new, but executed as well as one would expect from twenty-plus year punk veterans. Each track reminds us of one of the three core elements synonymous with successful Alkaline Trio outings: Skiba’s eloquent gloom, Andriano’s sobering yet uplifting earthy tones, and some sort of unexpectedly angsty acoustic take.  E.P. serves as a timely reminder for fans to check out Alkaline Trio when they finally hit the road again once this whole global pandemic mess blows over.