Alkaline Trio are a punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois consisting of Mat… Read Full Bio ↴Alkaline Trio are a punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois consisting of Matt Skiba (guitar/vocals), Dan Andriano (bass/vocals), and Atom Willard (drums/percussion). Their music is characterized by dark lyrics, catchy hooks, fast tempos, and recurring subjects of alcoholism, depression, shattered relationships, drugs, and death.

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.

Continental
Alkaline Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've got a dying urge to feel the way you do
Too close for comfort
Bed and breakfast in a spoon
The shortest breath of your young life
A long walk home on friday night
You made one last stop at the store

So close to perfect swear to hell thought it was you

This bouncing baby boy's now turning baby blue
I've got your pictures on my walls
I've got a long list of calls I must make
To your existing family

You had nine lives and one by one you chewed them up
Your final coffin nail's been driven far too much
This won't take long you said I'm not going far
Go wait in the car
Go wait in the car

I often wonder what it feels like to be you
A mess like this stuck on your hands with Krazy Glue
Ran outta time no kiss goodbye
Wish I could learn to let this sleeping dog die
Without lying to myself

You had nine lives and one by one you chewed them up
Your final coffin nail's been driven far too much
This won't take long you said I'm not going far
Go wait in the car
Go wait in the car

You had nine lives and one by one you chewed them up
Your final coffin nail's been driven far too much
This won't take long you said I'm not going far

Go wait in the car
Go wait in the car

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Alkaline Trio's song "Continental" are thought-provoking and poetic, and they tell the story of a tragic relationship that has come to an end. The song's lyrics deal with themes of love, loss, and regret, and they evoke the bittersweet feeling of looking back on a relationship that didn't work out.

The opening line of the song, "I've got a dying urge to feel the way you do," hints at the intensity of the singer's feelings for the person they are addressing. The next lines, "Too close for comfort, bed and breakfast in a spoon," suggest that the relationship may have been intense and intimate, but also perhaps unhealthy or dangerous.

The verses that follow describe the aftermath of a tragedy, as the singer grapples with their feelings of loss and grief. The lines "You had nine lives and one by one you chewed them up, your final coffin nail's been driven far too much" suggest that the person they loved was reckless or self-destructive, and that their actions ultimately led to their demise. The final lines of the song, "This won't take long you said I'm not going far, go wait in the car, go wait in the car," evoke a sense of finality and closure, as the singer is left to mourn and remember the person they have lost.

Overall, "Continental" is a haunting and poignant reflection on the complexities of love and loss, and it speaks to the human experience of grappling with grief and regret.

Line by Line Meaning

I've got a dying urge to feel the way you do
I want to experience the same feelings as you do

Too close for comfort
The intensity of the situation is making me uncomfortable

Bed and breakfast in a spoon
Drug addiction has taken over your life

The shortest breath of your young life
Your life was cut short in a tragic way

A long walk home on friday night
The night of the tragedy

You made one last stop at the store
This was your last action before the tragedy occurred

So close to perfect swear to hell thought it was you
I believed that we had found something special and perfect

This bouncing baby boy's now turning baby blue
Your life has hit rock bottom

I've got your pictures on my walls
I have a constant reminder of you in my life

I've got a long list of calls I must make
I have to inform your family and friends of your death

To your existing family
I have to tell your family about your death