Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs

by Alkaline Trio

Overview

On their tenth studio album, 2024's Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, Chicago's journeyman goth-punk outfit Alkaline Trio deliver a blistering, yet still emotionally tender evocation of apocalyptic angst. The album arrives six years after 2018's Is This Thing Cursed?, the longest gap in the group's career and one which found singer/guitarist Matt Skiba splitting his time as a member of blink-182. It also marks the trio's final go with drummer Derek Grant who, although he does play on the album, amicably parted ways with the group just after they finished recording. Produced by Cameron Webb (Bayside, Pennywise), Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs finds Skiba and bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano refocusing their energies, embracing the caustic power of their early work and balancing it with their knack for big, swooning '50s rock-esque choruses. The album also features some of the best guitar work of the band's career, full of the sawtooth riffs that conjure both basement punk show excitement and heavy metal stadium euphoria. The album's title is purportedly a phrase Skiba's mom heard while working as an emergency room nurse on particularly rough nights. It also seems to encapsulate the mood of the album, one that feels informed by an increasingly fraught political and environmental landscape. Yet Alkaline Trio remain steadfast, and songs like "Bad Time," "Scars," and "Broken Down in a Time Machine" detail stories of people reaching for love as the world seemingly falls apart around them. It's a vibe they underline on the anthemic "Meet Me" in which Skiba croons, "I just cannot seem to get my rotten head/Around this mess surrounding us and/As the sky is falling, I'll fall into your arms." That kind of desperation might seem overly dark or tragic in someone else's hands, but Alkaline Trio are transcendent. More than just a bright spot in their career, Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs is a beacon of romantic punk defiance. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	01/26/2024
Label:	Rise Records
UPC:	4099964000146
Rank:	18616

Tracks

1. Hot for Preacher
2. Meet Me
3. Versions of You
4. Bad Time
5. Scars
6. Break
7. Shake With Me
8. Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs
9. Hinterlude
10. Broken Down in a Time Machine
11. Teenage Heart

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alkaline Trio   Primary Artist
Matt Skiba   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Vocals
Curtis Mathewson   Keyboards
Derek Grant   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Vocals
Jamie Blake   Vocals
Dan Andriano   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Jerred Polacci   Assistant Engineer
Sergio Chavez   Engineer
Andrew Alekel   Engineer,Mastering
Alkaline Trio   Composer
Matt Skiba   Composer,Group Member
Daniel Andriano   Composer
Cameron Webb   Mixing,Producer
Derek Grant   Composer,Group Member
John Lousteau   Assistant Engineer
John Yates   Design
Dan Andriano   Group Member
Oliver Roman   Assistant Engineer
Charlie Lo Presti   Assistant Engineer