Alkaline Trio – This Addiction

This Addiction is out now on Heart & Skull Records

By, Arielle Abilo

Album: This Addiction

Artist: Alkaline Trio

Release Date: February 23rd, 2010

Sounds Like: Hot Water Music, The Lawrence Arms, The Bouncing Souls, Against Me!

Buzz Tracks: “This Addiction”, “Dine, Dine My Darling”, “Lead Poisoning”

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I don’t know about you, but, for the most part, my once favorite bands have been disappointing me recently. While inventive new artists still exist, most new releases in recent memory have been generally subpar – in ten years we are probably not even going to remember most of the bands that are around right now. The lack of longevity with artists nowadays is an increasing problem in the music industry. New acts are popping up all over the place, but they seem to miraculously disappear after creating one or two respectable records.

Alkaline Trio, on the other hand, have proven that they are here to stay. But seven albums later, do they have what it takes to make it another ten? Alkaline Trio- singer/guitarist Matt Skiba, singer/bassist Dan Andriano, and drummer Derek Grant- formed in 1996 in Chicago, and immediately developed a cult following. Their debut album, Goddamnit, has been an influential record in the punk rock scene since its 1998 release. Other albums like Maybe I’ll Catch Fire and From Here to Infirmary are solid, fast-paced punk rock records. Because they have two lead singers with extremely different voices, their songs tend to complement one another beautifully. Though they never achieved great commercial success, Alkaline Trio have managed to develop a loyal fan base through their relentless touring and steady album releases.

Yesterday’s This Addiction, the seventh studio album from the trio, finds the band longing to recreate the appealing, straightforward punk rock songs that earned them their fan base in the beginning. The album is following their last two releases, Crimson and Agony & Irony, which were less punk rock sounding and more pop. Although This Addiction is a step forward from the, in my opinion, dull Agony & Irony, it still lacks the magic that the earlier records possessed. The album, the first release off the trio’s own Heart & Skull label after leaving Epic Records, starts off with the fast-paced title track. Reminiscent of old Alkaline Trio, Skiba pens lyrics about drugs and addiction, singing about heroine and withdrawal. The album keeps up the energy with “Dine, Dine My Darling” and “Lead Poisoning”. “Dine, Dine My Darling”, a shout out to the Misfits song “Die, Die My Darling”, is a catchy pop song with a sing-a-long chorus. The trio attempts to be different, adding horns on “Lead Poisoning” that fit nicely with Skiba’s guitar, and incorporating strange synths on “Eating Me Alive”, giving it a new wave, pop feel. Although the album starts off strong, it quickly loses steam with unmemorable songs like “Dead on the Floor” and “Dorothy”. The lack of creativity on the second half of the album was enough to make me, generally a fan of Alkaline Trio, relent. “Fine”, a lackluster song with bland lyrics, is an exceptionally weak closer for the album. The last five songs are extremely similar sounding as well, and although the tracks do sound like Alkaline Trio, they are overall forgettable.

The main problem with This Addiction, as with many albums in this genre of recent memory, is its ability to keep the listener hooked from start to finish. A memorable album is solid from the beginning to the end, and does not fall flat after a few strong tracks. Alkaline Trio has already made the best album of their career with Goddamnit, but they strive to accomplish this feat again. Although the album is a step forward from their previous poppy albums, it does not contain enough memorable songs that will help the album withstand the test of time. As a true fan, it’s hard for me to say, but ten years down the line, most fans are probably going to remember the earlier Alkaline Trio releases, and leave This Addiction in the dust.