Following 2024’s ‘Asylum Harbour’ – which featured a pair of very strong singles, ‘Mirror’ and ‘Gimme Some Pain’ – LA’s Tombstones In Their Eyes sound equally enthused on their sixth full length release ‘Under Dark Skies’. The record’s ten tracks take in some mighty riffs, mixing the huge sounds of shoegaze with the haziness of old school psych, adding a pinch of blues and a sprinkling of goth along the way, to create something that’s often very rewarding.
The more direct side of the Tombstones’ sound comes through immediately on the title track when guitarist Paul Boutin drops a huge, blues drenched riff over a slightly muddy groove. The tones blend old school blues rock with a strong element of 90s stoner rock, and the melody that grows is simple, but still striking. Fans will delight in a contrasting vocal, where a wall of harmonies drowning in effects sit against the chunky backdrop to bring the expected neo-psychedelic touch, in keeping with the best tunes from ‘Asylum Harbour’. It’s one of those arrangements that would even work without a decent lyrical hook, but a repeated “I’m sitting here, waiting…” lends the dark and moody groove something rather catchy. It all aims to take the listener somewhere away from their ordinary daily routine, and although everything feels somewhat maudlin, it has a great sound.
Following that with the Beatle-esque ‘You Never Have To Love Me’, the late 60s vibes come through even more strongly at first, and from first listen, a subtle blend of acoustic guitar and filtered voice on the opening verse helps it to sound like the kind of track you’ve always known. As the melody and volume builds, the Beatles influence quickly subsides, and the much darker psychedelic tones take the helm. This sounds equally cool in a different way. The way Paul weaves shoegaze-ish lead guitar tones around John Treanor’s heavily affected vocal performance – very much a product of the studio – creates a huge sound, one that very slowly draws the listener into an uneasy world. Despite the tempo never really shifting throughout the performance, this slightly dense sounding yet very trippy workout never outstays its welcome, and although the end product feels more indebted to mood than obvious hooks, it eventually buries itself into the listener’s memory, giving a very strong record another early highlight.
Adopting more of a chopping riff, ‘I See You Looking Out My Door’ adopts a little more of a 70s rock undertone, but those tougher edges are balanced by another hazy vocal that’s pure Tombstones. The track’s mix of mid tempo swagger and weird, flowing voice works brilliantly from the off, of course, and by the time the band reach the instrumental break, the blend of howling lead guitar and moody rhythm creates the ultimate retro rock/psych-shoegaze mix. If a small criticism could be made, it’s that the lyric feels a little too empty/repetitive; it’s knowingly underworked, and possibly not in the best way. In a bit of unfortunate sequencing, the intro of ‘You Can Run’ makes it feel like the repeat button has been pushed inadvertently, since the opening riff finds the band in too much of a comfort zone. Allowing a little time for the melody to stretch out, however, this number soon becomes a very confident piece, where an even bigger array of vocal effects compliment one of the band’s denser, swirling melodies, taking the guts of My Bloody Valentine and running through a late 60s psych filter. This mightn’t share anything too unexpected, but by sharing something that sounds great with the volume cranked and with the help of one of Paul’s best solos, it could become a fan favourite in time, despite a wobbly start.
A band favourite, ‘Alive and Well’ was shared as a digital single ahead of the album release, and it’s easy to hear why the musicians would rate it so highly. Its intro flaunts a whole world of distortion and arcs of sound from Paul’s guitar, taking things even more deeply into “traditional” shoegaze, and once the track’s main melody emerges, he can still be heard beneath, layering a world of sound that borrows from A Place To Bury Strangers and My Bloody Valentine. The bulk of the track has a noisy edge thanks to a choppy riff, but also a great amount of melody. The harmony vocals, in particular, show off a band that instinctively knows how to work a superb retro sound, and the applied studio effects really give those voices a huge send off, and in contrast with the wealth of fuzzy noise here, Paul’s featured solo adds an almost bluesy edge to the piece that somehow makes everything a touch more accessible. This is peak Tombstones in so many ways.
For those who have the patience to venture a little more deeply into this album’s “sound world”, the lengthy ‘Take Another Piece of Me’ will provide solid entertainment with its harder edged, almost proto-metal riff, strange distorted elements, and slight concession to drone. With an even more detached vocal connected to the guitar riff via Nic Nifoussi’s thunderous bass sound, this presents a much denser sounding Tombstones, but in terms of lending this album a welcome curveball at the end, it’s very effective. For those who’ve found a love for Paul’s lead guitar, a strange and warbly tone takes his bluesy stance into almost futuristic places at times, creating a wonderful balance with the groove’s heavier stance, and even at the point where Nic and drummer Stephen Striegel appear to have not moved away from their initial rhythm after several minutes, this feels anything but dull. If anything, the steady and repetitive nature of the arrangement feels vaguely hypnotic, which was likely the band’s intention.
Elsewhere, you’ll find ‘The Beginning’ which weaves a slightly lighter, almost baroque melody into a mid tempo number where a wall of guitars dips back into the band’s late 60s influences, only this time peppering them with tones that occasionally sound like an homage to very early ELO. It’s not the album’s most immediate number – and its instrumental stance might make it feel a little like filler to some ears – but beneath the effects, there’s a great melody. Despite a slighter feel, it contrasts rather nicely with ‘I’m So Happy Today’ which takes the essence of shoegaze with its overdriven guitars and echoing vocals and applies that to a number that, in places, plays more like a slow Britpop workout. For those who’ve already found a love for Tombstones, the contrast of heavy toms, flowing vocal and even a Ride-esque melody will certainly appeal.
The band’s third full length release in as many years, ‘Under Dark Skies’ shows no sign of a band struggling for inspiration or musically flagging in any way. If approached in the wrong mood, the material might feel a little samey in places, but a couple of tracks rank among the Tombstones’ best to date. Despite all of the reasons to celebrate, it is, however, an album delivered under a cloak of sadness, since between its recording and release, guitarist Paul passed away. As a final note in his legacy, this is a fine work; as another piece in the Tombstones’ musical jigsaw, it feels important. Whether you’re already a fan or approaching the band for the first time here, with its love of a musical past and a desire to bring a classic sound into the present, ‘Under Dark Skies’ is an album that, at it’s best, is rich and layered; a recording that makes a deep psych and shoegaze blend feel vital. In short, even with a couple of repetitive elements, this is a highly recommended listen.
December 2025