On October 12, 2006, the band announced they had signed with major labelV2 Records. In addition, it was mentioned that the band was working on new songs, and was aiming to record a new album in early 2007.[2] However, in January 2007, V2 went through a restructuring process which left the fate of its acts unknown.[3] Drummer Derek Grant said the band had 18 songs, which they were in the process of demoing in Los Angeles, California. Though, they were expecting to record their next album in April 2007,[4] each member was focused elsewhere: Skiba with Heavens and touring withChuck Ragan, Andriano as a studio musician, and Grant writing R&B songs while constructing a studio.[5][6] On May 28, 2007, the group announced they had signed to another major label,Epic Records.[7] Three days later, "Fire Down Below" was posted on the band'sMyspace profile.[8] They performed on that year'sWarped Tour for two weeks; they debuted a new track, titled "In Vein".[9][10] Following these dates, the band entered the studio to work on their next album.[11] Recording began in early 2008; the proceedings were documented on an online journal through their fan club Blood Pact.[12]
The album features apop punk style, but morepop rock-oriented compared to the band's previous,punk rock-oriented albums.[13][1] Regarding this album, vocalist and guitaristMatt Skiba stated that the band set out to record an "anthemic hard rock record."[14] Regarding the record's sound and influences, Skiba states that he was "listening to a lot ofPat Benatar,Def Leppard and a lot of the 80s MTV music that I grew up with. So that was a big influence in the writing process, bands likeThe Cars".Norwegianexperimental bandUlver contributed strings, programming and vocals on "Lost & Rendered" and "In My Stomach."Douglas P. of Englishneofolk groupDeath in June contributed a spoken word introduction to "I Found Away". "Help Me" was inspired by theJoy Division filmControl (2007).[15]
In an interview promoting the album,Matt Skiba cites that:
there’s a theme of duality on the record, it’s sort of a spin on ‘ebony and ivory’ which of course represents black and white. The songs on the new album sort of represent a struggle between good and evil, light and dark, and despair and hope. We feltAgony and Irony was appropriate, I mean we fancy ourselves as being pretty clever, and we felt a play on words was also fitting for the new record. It's also a lyric from 'Flagpole Sitta' byHarvey Danger, so we thought we earn double points for that.[14]
On April 4, "In Vein" was made available for streaming through the band'sMyspace profile. It was mentioned that the band's untitled next album would be released in three months' time.[10] The following day, the band appeared at theBamboozle Left festival.[16] On April 7, the album's titleAgony & Irony and track listing was revealed.[17][18] The following day, "Help Me" was posted on Myspace; it was released to radio stations on April 22.[19][20] On the latter day, anAgony & Irony EP was released, featuring "Help Me", "In Vein" and "Into the Night".[21] In May and June, the band participated in theZumiezCouch Tour alongside Kandi Coded,Our Last Night andDr. Manhattan, which was followed by an East Coast tour for the remained of June 2008.[22][23][24] A music video for "Help Me" premiered throughMTV on June 30, 2008.[25] According toAlternative Press, it contains "100% less on-the-road and concert footage and 100% more Matt Skiba dressed up as someone from Young Guns flying with a jetpack."[26]Agony & Irony was made available for streaming on June 27 on their Myspace; it released on July 1, 2008, throughEpic Records.[27][28] For those that pre-ordered the vinyl edition, they were given a freeseven-inch record that featured "Help Me" and a cover of "Wake Up Exhausted" (2004) byTegan and Sara.[29]
The album was promoted with a US tour until August 2008, with support fromBayside andAmerican Steel.[30][31] Following this, they appeared at thePukkelpop andEdgefest festivals.[32][33] In October and November, the band supportedRise Against on their headlining tour of the US.[34] Due to Rise Against vocalistTim McIlrath becoming ill, Alkaline Trio performed two shows with another band on the tour,Thrice.[35] "Over and Out" was released radio on October 21, 2008; a week later, the band appeared onJimmy Kimmel Live! performing "Calling All Skeletons".[36][37][38] In January and February 2009, the band went on a tour of Europe withthe Audition andBroadway Calls.[39] During this stint, the band played aMyspace Transmission session, where they performed "Over and Out" and "Love Love Kiss Kiss".[40] In February and March, the band toured Australia as part of theSoundwave festival.[41] Also in March, the band launched a contest for fans to remix "I Found Away" that would be included on a digital release titledRemix EP.[42][43] In April 2009, the band went on the Pick Up the Phone tour, alongsideAnberlin and Single File, at college campuses in the US; it was intended to raiseawareness of suicide and mental health problems.[44] Following this, the band went on a tour of the East Coast and Midwest withSaves the Day[45] and were supported by Death in the Park.[46] Further dates were added, extending the tour into mid-May.[47] Following this, the band supportedthe Offspring on their Shit Is Fucked Up Tour in May and June 2009, and then appeared at the West Coast Riot festival in Sweden.[48][49] In June 2013, independent label Shop Radio Cast released the album as a two-LP set with a booklet and additional recordings.[50]
^Hutton, Sarah (September 23, 2008)."Soundwave Line-up 2009".FasterLouder. Junkee Media. Archived fromthe original on July 30, 2017. RetrievedJuly 13, 2017.
