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Is This Thing Cursed? - Epitaph Records
It’s been five years since Alkaline Trio’s last release. That’s the longest break between albums in the band’s twenty-two year history. But while the band may have taken a pause as a unit, each member has been busier than ever. Dan Andriano and Matt Skiba both released new solo records. Matt Skiba rounded out the vacancy created by Tom Delonge’s departure in Blink 182 and recorded a new album with the band. Even drummer Derek Grant got around to releasing his first formal solo record in which he took charge of all instruments. With all this excitement, some fans were beginning to wonder when the members would have time to meet up for Alkaline Trio’s ninth full length.
At long last, the time has come.
The undisputed pop-punk kings of the macabre have returned with a welcomingly familiar, thirteen-track offering that will feel like a homecoming for long time fans. There really aren’t any other bands out there quite like Alkaline Trio, and Is This Thing Cursed upholds all the hallmarks that make them unique.
The album opens with the familiar combination of Andriano’s scratchy voice and a lullaby-esque twinkle that leads the title track with the question, “is this thing cursed?” From here the band builds their trademark dark imagery as they layer and trade vocals in rich descriptions of “throwing it in the river,” only to have “it wash up in my sink.” The object in question isn’t identified directly, affording just the right amount of wonder, adding to the grim mystique. Always leaving the full details in their back pocket, the band engages listeners in riddles that captivate the imagination as much as they please the ears. “I Can’t Believe” embraces all the markers of quintessential Alkaline Trio, with Skiba’s clear and chilling vocals guiding cryptic chorus lines in reference to the afterlife. “Nothing to see here move along; nobody to hear your black swan song,” sings of Skiba of what might be referencing a silent, isolated death, transforming the line into something lighter with the follow-up “someone please do something something’s wrong, he’s no longer breathing but singing along.”
Is This Thing Cursed doesn’t attempt to try anything terribly new, and stays fairly true to the band’s Good Mourning and adjacent eras. The general tempo is upbeat in songs like “Goodbye Fire Island,” and the distinction between Andriano and Skiba’s tracks are as subtle but recognizable as ever. Tracks like “Stay” channel Andriano’s earthy tones amidst scenarios of heartbreak, balanced by the more classically punked up essence of “Worn So Thin.” Skiba’s biggest tracks, like “Throw Me To The Lions,” marry quick tempos with clean production, while reaching for stadium sweeping vocal harmonies he’s known for. These songs are crisp and clean in an openly gothic sort of way.
“Krystalline” is a fitting album closer, following in the footsteps of prior albums like Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, concluding the disc on an acoustic note, enhanced by slight ambient whispers. Considering the bulk of the album’s relative clarity, this track quells any remaining hunger for something a little rawer.
Overall, Is This Thing Cursed feels like Alkaline Trio have enjoyed an effortless return to the studio. The band members have reunited after exploring their own projects, but haven’t forgotten what makes Alkaline Trio the timeless punk hallmark that history will one day remember them as. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another five years for the next chapter.