Alkaline Trio Give Fans A Halloween Treat With 'Surprise Surprise' Release

By NLM | Published: October 31, 2025

(NLM) "Surprise Surprise I couldn't sleep last night..." Alkaline Trio marks Halloween with the release of new single "Surprise Surprise." The third of the band's current triptych of standalone 7-inch vinyl and digital singles, "Surprise Surprise" lives up to its name with one of the most sonically subdued and viscerally vulnerable performances in Alkaline Trio's storied history.

Trio singer and guitarist Matt Skiba said of the song, "'Surprise Surprise' was inspired by and written for a friend of mine who grew up poor and entrenched in gang life only to become a Navy SEAL and eventually an astronaut. It's his story combined with my own thoughts regarding how a sort of alchemy takes place when someone takes the experiences of a bad situation and is able to turn them into something profound and beautiful. The rough sketch of the song had only verse and chorus parts but no bridge which was written by Dan in the studio. This song was the last one of the three we did in this session with Travis Barker and was even more of a collaboration and studio creation than the previous two."

"Surprise Surprise" follows "Bleeding Out" and "Oblivion" as the third and final of three songs Alkaline Trio recorded with producer Travis Barker of Blink 182 - the first studio sessions to feature the current Trio lineup of founding guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba, longtime bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano and drummer Atom Willard.

Available now across digital platforms, "Surprise Surprise" will also be released by Rise Records as a limited edition D2C color vinyl 7-inch, featuring an exclusive demo version on the B-side. Also unveiled today is the official "Surprise Surprise" music video.

Travis Barker said of the sessions, "Recording with Alkaline Trio was such a treat. Bringing these songs to life from the demos Matt recorded was so exciting. Both Matt and Dan are incredible lyricists, two of my all-time favorites. The studio never feels like work, just a magical place to create. The process was so natural and easy, I could've kept going forever. Really proud of these songs me, Matt, Dan, and Atom recorded. Excited for what's ahead for Alkaline Trio and for fans to hear these special songs we made."

Alkaline Trio recently completed a North American tour supporting Blink 182 - as well as a few select headline shows and festival dates.