The Insider.com

I never would have guessed that the day I met The Used would also turn into the day Bert McCracken would want to trade jackets and end up in my hot pink blazer. But, that is exactly what happened.

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The Used's fifth full-length, Vulnerable, marks a particular triumph for singer Bert, who is now reenergized after he suffered a broken hand and elbow last year from falling from a stage in Orange County. He showed me where the metal pins in his hand and elbow were, but I could barely see them underneath a layer of tattoos.

McCracken spent four months getting surgery and recuperating in a haze of painkillers, then "awoke" to a creative limbo, in an entirely unfamiliar emotional space. The experience birthed the title and concept of Vulnerable.

The boys told me that anyone who has been a fan since the beginning and loved their first record in 2002 will really enjoy Vulnerable. Rumor has it that The Used will be on Warped Tour this year (they wouldn't confirm that with me) but that would make this fangirl very happy.

Vulnerable comes out March 27. You can purchase the first single I Come Alive here.