The band formed in December of 1996, originally consisting of Skiba, Rob Doran (bass/vocals), and Glenn Porter (drums/vocals). 1997 saw the release of the band's first EP, Sundials. This was followed shortly after by the departure of Doran. He was replaced by Andriano, who had been the singer for Tuesday and bassist for the ska band Slapstick. The band released their second EP, entitled For Your Lungs Only, in 1998, which began to build them a sizable fan base in the American Midwest. Later that year, they released their first full-length album, Goddamnit, followed by Maybe I'll Catch Fire in 2000. Both were released on Asian Man Records. Also in 2000, the band released a collection of their previously-released EPs on a self-titled album.
Following the success of their Asian Man releases, Alkaline Trio signed to Vagrant. Joined by new drummer Mike Felumlee (previously of the Smoking Popes), From Here to Infirmary was released in 2001. It was their first album to see any interest from alternative radio and the mainstream media, with the semi-hit punk single "Stupid Kid" and the inclusion of the song "Armageddon" on the Tony Hawk's Underground as well as Tony Hawks American Wasteland video games. Their cover of "Over at the Frankenstein Place" was included in the compilation The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show, an album made to pay tribute to the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
After the release, Felumlee left the band too and was replaced by Grant, previously of The Suicide Machines.
Their next full-length album was Good Mourning, released in 2003, with the album's launch single "We've Had Enough" seeing a considerable amount of commercial success. The album was a significant departure from earlier works, featuring greater production value and a noticeable move toward a more mainstream sound.
The band has also appeared on various compilation albums, notably Plea for Peace Vol. 1 and Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. Skiba and Andriano have both independently recorded split records, Skiba with Kevin Seconds on Asian Man Records and Andriano with Mike Felumlee on Double Zero Records, as well as jointly performing backing vocal duties on the album This is Unity Music by Common Rider. They have also recorded two split EPs with bands who are no longer together: one with Hot Water Music in 2000 and the other with One Man Army in 2004.
Alkaline Trio released their fifth studio album on Vagrant Records, entitled Crimson, on May 24, 2005, which featured the single "Time to Waste." The single for this song also included bonus tracks produced by Mass Giorgini. The tracks "Mercy Me" and "Burn" have also been released as singles from the album.
In 2004 Andriano became a member of The Falcon, a super-group of consisting of The Lawrence Arms' bassist/co-vocalist Brendan Kelly (with who he had played with in Slapstick), and Neil Hennessy, drummer from The Lawrence Arms. The band released a 5-song EP in 2004, and its first full-length Unicornography in September of 2006.
In 2006 Matt Skiba collaborated with Josiah Steinbrick for the band Heavens.
In 2008 Alkaline Trio released Agony & Irony on Epic Records. The album charted at #13 on the Billboard 200.
Alkaline Trio's 7th studio album, This Addiction,was released on February 23rd 2010. This was their first album under their own label, Heart & Skull, an offshoot of Epitaph, and the album debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest the band has ever charted to date.
Alkaline Trio's eighth studio album, Damnesia,, was released July 12, 2011. Consisting of "a selection of beloved fan favorites selected from the group's extensive catalogue and presented in an intimate semi-unplugged format", the album also included two new songs, "Olde English 800" and "I Remember a Rooftop", as well as a cover version of the Violent Femmes' "I Held Her in My Arms".
On April 2nd, 2013, Alkaline Trio released "My Shame Is True".
On August 31st, 2013, Alkaline Trio released "Is This Thing Cursed?".
On June 8th, 2023, longtime drummer Derek Grant left the band due to mental health reasons and intentions to pursue music production as well as graphic design. He was replaced by Atom Willard, formerly of bands such as Rocket from the Crypt and Against Me!. The band then released the single, "Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs" on October 17th, 2023, and announced an album of the same name due for a release date of January 26th, 2024.
Blackout
Alkaline Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the sun does shine
Rather stay here with curtains drawn
In darkness you'll be mine
Let's wait for the blackout
The light is too bright
Let's wait for the blackout
Well welcome to my basement flat
No windows to see through
When darkness falls again my friend
We'll both know what to do
Let's wait for the blackout
The light is too bright
Let's wait for the blackout
Wait for the night
Wait for the blackout
The light is too bright
Let's wait for the blackout
Wait for the night
Come walk with me upon the earth
It keeps us both alive
No other thing can last in here
Where we can both survive
Let's wait for the blackout
The light is too bright
Let's wait for the blackout
Wait for the night
Wait for the night
In darkness there is no sin
Light only brings in fear
Nothing to corrupt the eyes
There is no vision here
At first you may find it strange
But please don't go away
There's power in the nighttime
That you won't find in the day
There is no vision here
There is no vision here
No vision here"
The lyrics of Alkaline Trio's "Blackout" express a desire for darkness and isolation, as a means of escape from the harshness of the outside world. The first verse uses imagery of curtains being drawn to create a sense of introvertedness, with the singer preferring to stay inside rather than go out into the sun. This darkness is seen as a source of comfort, as the singer believes that in darkness, they can find someone to be close to.
The chorus emphasizes the need for the darkness of the "blackout" and the night, as it provides respite from the overwhelming brightness of the light. The second verse adds to this sentiment by describing a basement flat with no windows, solidifying the theme of isolation and shutting out the outside world. The final verse encourages the listener to embrace the darkness, as it keeps them alive and provides a haven unreachable by the negative influences of the daylight.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of longing for a place where one can be themselves without fear of judgment or persecution. The darkness provides a safe space for the characters in the song to escape the trials and tribulations of reality and find comfort in a world devoid of vision.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you ask me to come out
When the sun does shine
Rather stay here with curtains drawn
In darkness you'll be mine
Please don't request me to come out during the day as I prefer to stay inside in the dark where I feel comfortable.
Let's wait for the blackout
The light is too bright
Let's wait for the blackout
Wait for the night
We should wait for the darkness to come as the light is too bright and it's better to enjoy the night.
Well welcome to my basement flat
No windows to see through
When darkness falls again my friend
We'll both know what to do
Welcome to my basement flat where there are no windows so that we can enjoy the darkness and feel comfortable when it comes again.
Come walk with me upon the earth
It keeps us both alive
No other thing can last in here
Where we can both survive
Let's take a walk on this earth which is the source of life as nothing else can survive in the environment where we are living now.
In darkness there is no sin
Light only brings in fear
Nothing to corrupt the eyes
There is no vision here
Darkness is pure and brings no sin, while light brings fear and can corrupt the eyes which is why there is no vision in the darkness.
At first you may find it strange
But please don't go away
There's power in the nighttime
That you won't find in the day
Although it might be weird at first, please don't leave because there's a certain power that comes with the night that cannot be found during the day.
There is no vision here
There is no vision here
No vision here
There is nothing to see in this darkness and there is no vision here.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind