Opening with the single of the same name, Under Dark Skies is, according to the ship’s sonic captain John Treanor, the result of writing music that pulls in the direction of hope. We all have our coping mechanisms for when life gets crazy, and the musician’s obvious inclination is to pour any pain and fear, doubts, and anxieties into songs, in the process exorcising ghosts, dispelling the darkness, staying balanced, and ultimately healing. And so this album is the sound of creativity as a form of catharsis.
Not that there is a signature Tombstones In Their Eyes sound; a genre or style couldn’t contain their sonic palette and boundless creativity, but we do find them wandering those fuzzy, psychedelic fields and cinematic rockscapes that they have made their own in the last decade. And why not? They have become masters of navigating such complex waters.
So, as that opening number roars and rumbles into the listener’s consciousness, there is a sense of familiarity within the originality; it feels like coming home. “The Beginning” is a mercurial blend of flitting folk guitars and squalling, shoegazy walls of sound. “I’m So Happy Today” blends ’60s pop with timeless rock in the same way that, say, The Jesus and Mary Chain did, and “Better Somehow” is typically dense and dark, delirious and delicious.
“Alive and Well, the current single, a weave of intensity and anthemicism, nearly didn’t make it to the album. In the wake of the sad passing of guitarist Paul Boutin, it seemed inappropriate. But, on reflection, the themes of resilience and fighting your way back, something that Paul himself experienced, seemed perfect. And not least because it was a favorite song of his. It now sits as the sonic jewel within a majestic album.
With Stephen Striegel sat at the drum kit, Phil Cobb on guitar, Nic Nifoussi covering bass duties, and Clea Cullen and Courtney Davies adding vocals, Tombstone In Their Eyes continue to forge singularly brilliant music. In a career of high points and genre-defying music, Under Dark Skies raises the benchmark once again. (I feel like I say something similar every time I write about the band…and for good reason.)
Under Dark Skies album
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