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As the US punk pop scene continues to see its 'biggest and brightest' grow ever more successful and famous, it sometimes seems as if Chicago three piece Alkaline Trio are its best kept secret. The last few years have seen Green Day turned into mainstream global rock stars, The Offspring mutate into chart snogging pop tarts and even AFI trade in their cult status for huge record sales. Surely its the turn of Alkaline Trio to emerge blinking into the limelight, especially when they're churning out songs as infectiously catchy as MERCY ME.
Taken from the latest album, CRIMSON, this is the bands latest stab at the big time and perhaps their boldest and most obvious move to date. Equal parts insanely catchy and distressingly formulaic, MERCY ME ticks all the right boxes and pulls all the right moves - yes, its the same three minute punk pop experience thats been going on since Green Day were in nappies, but at the same time its done so well that its hard to argue.
Slickly produced and executed with military precision, MERCY ME is the sound of Alkaline Trio stepping into the limelight - it maybe formulaic and obvious, but damn its pleasing.

The current world of Alkaline Trio is not nearly as fraught with and fuelled by drink and drama as in the band's formative years, thus, the making of the new album entitled CRIMSON produced by Jerry Finn (Green Day, Blink 182, Jawbreaker), is the most mature and ambitious 13 songs Alkaline Trio has ever pushed itself to create.
The single TIME TO WASTE was a huge success with Radio 1 and MTV playlisting the song and video. The band continue to grow as musicians and individuals and take with them an army of loyal fans.
Let the show begin...
Alkaline Trios legacy harkens back to 1997, when Matt Skiba, a bike messenger from working class Chicago 'burb McHenry, gave up the drums for the guitar and began his quest for the perfect balance of lyrical hell and pop heaven. He and fellow messenger/drummer Glenn Porter and bassist Rob Doran would debut as Alkaline Trio on the FOR YOUR LUNGS ONLY EP. Dan Andriano replaced Doran prior to the SUNDIALS EP, adding a second voice and songwriting style that complemented and contrasted with Skibas, and the signature Alkaline Trio was born.
Two albums on indie Asian Man Records, GODDAMNIT and MAYBE I'LL CATCH FIRE, followed in 1998 and 2000 respectively, punctuated by hard touring and yielding to-this-day live favourites RADIO, NOSE OVER TAIL and the latters title track. A self-titled compilation of early singles, EPs, compilation tracks and others odds n ends followed later in 2000.
FROM HERE TO INFIRMARY was released in 2001, marking both the Trios Vagrant Records debut and the addition of ex Smoking Popes drummer Mike Felumlee to the fold. Singles PRIVATE EYE and STUPID KID and staples CRAWL and ANOTHER INNOCENT GIRL became instant classics to the exponentially growing Alkaline Trio fan base that buoyed the record into the top 200 and packed clubs and theatres, transforming the band into a formidable worldwide draw.
The current Alkaline Trio line-up finally solidified with 2003s GOOD MOURNING, as former Suicide Machines drummer Derek Grant came aboard for the perfection of the Trios sonic identity that had been evolving since 1997.

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