Alkaline Trio have returned; new album ‘Is This Thing Cursed?’ finds the Chicago three-piece with a renewed vigour after an extended break – in part thanks to Matt Skiba’s secondary home in pop-punk giants, Blink-182.
So how does Matt go about switching between one of the most upbeat bands in the world, to penchants of the macabre and emo?
“It’s just me, and the darkness,” he considers. “That’s my worldview, [but] I think I’m one of the nicer, happier people you’ll meet because I spend so much of it in the dark.”
Having a chat with Matt while Alkaline Trio are on tour in the US – tonight they’re in Pittsburgh, “Andy Warhol’s birthplace” – he’s quick to delve into the wealth of influences that run deep throughout the band’s new record.
