FUSE TV - Stream 'Party Adjacent,' the Solo LP from Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano

There's this moment on Party Adjacent, right at the top. The fragile, hopeful lullaby intro's background fuzz builds to concert-ready distortion; it keeps humming, full volume, until we're suddenly in another song. You can't help but immediately think: Danny did it. 

"It," in this case, is the 38-year-old Alkaline Trio bassist's having concocted an album lover's solo album. Under the moniker Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room, the man behind classics like "Maybe I'll Catch Fire" and "We've Had Enough" released his debut record in 2012. Hurricane Season was a gorgeous home run, full of Dan's tenderly acerbic, beautifully bruised, wordily searching signature style. It was a quiet home run, though—one he cranked out of the park while the grandstands were half-empty on account of rain. It was made in Dan's house, it spawned only humble acoustic shows. It didn't seem to gain the affection or attention it deserved among the Trio-heads. 

Party Adjacent is the 12-track sophomore LP releasing this Friday, July 17, on Asian Man Records and premiering exclusively on Fuse, above. (Our player will take you straight through the record, like a nice piece of vinyl you just dropped the needle on.) (P.S.: pre-order!) It's an alternate universe Alkaline Trio record, one where Andriano writes all the songs instead of half or a third of them. Some but not all of the macabre imagery has been expelled. There's a cut called "Haunt Your House," and a booze-era Trio–friendly tune called "Plain Old Whiskey," which serves up an old-fashioned made out of Andriano's heart, some Maker's, lots of bitters, only a little sugar, no fruit. Like every few Trio albums, Party Adjacent still has the acoustic breathers; they're a strong suit for Dan, who came out swinging on Alk3's 1998 debut Goddammit with the heartrending, endearingly lisp-tinted "Enjoy Your Day." 

Enough about the Trio. This is Dan's moment, and his new record hangs together as a vivid snapshot in the life of this dad, husband and professional musician who's been at it for 20 damn years. Listen to Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room's Party Adjacent up top.