Rise Against and Alkaline Trio have released a split single covering each other’s work ahead of their upcoming joint tour.
The split single can be streamed below and will be released on 7″ vinyl on January 29th (pre-order here). It features Alkaline Trio covering Rise Against’s “Re-Education (Through Labor)” from Appeal to Reason and Rise Against covering Alkaline Trio’s “Private Eye” off From Here to Infirmary.
“Re-Education (Through Labor)” offers a punky backbone for Alkaline Trio’s more theatrical sound to elaborate on. The impetus of the split single is immediately apparent; it would not be a terrible shock had this appeared as an Alkaline Trio original rather than a cover of a nearly 20-year old song. The spiritual component at the center is the same between both bands.
Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio said of the collaboration, “It’s so much fun and such an honor to be swapping cover tunes with a band we’ve known personally and loved since we both formed and came up from our shows at the Fireside Bowl in Chicago. To see Rise Against become the band they are today has been a blast to track and to be a small part of through the years. To reconnect with this band and these people once again the way are via tour and this release feels the way it did when we first started: it’s almost completely for the love of each other and each other’s band. It feels like a tradition we started decades ago that naturally comes back to us, we are grateful to say.”
“Private Eye” has a refreshing directness for Rise Against, with Tim McIlrath’s vocals meshing well with the more literary bent of Alkaline Trio’s work. There is a sense of arena-ready pop appeal here that works well with Rise Against’s already approachable sound.
McIlrath noted, “The connection between Alkaline Trio and Rise Against actually pre-dates both bands’ inceptions, so we’ve all been there for both the awkward first steps and the flashes of promise. We have an understanding and appreciation of each other’s bands that could only come from being from the same scene. To still be standing this many years later is a testament to the fertile Chicago musical soil we come from and are proud to represent. We had so much fun sinking our teeth into their legendary song ‘Private Eye’.”
Rise Against and Alkaline Trio will kick off their fall US tour on September 22nd, with tickets available here. Stream “Re-Education (Through Labor)” and “Private Eye” below.
