Tombstones In Their Eyes - Asylum Harbour
FOR FANS OF: Spacemen 3, Jesus & Mary Chain, Elephant Stone, Asteroid 4, Kyuss, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Pink Floyd, Electric Wizard, My Bloody Valentine, The Dandy Warhols
In kaleidoscopic fashion, Los Angeles indie rock outfit Tombstones In Their Eyes shares a bountiful audio-visual offering in 'Gimme Some Pain'. The fantastic Aurelian video was created by Italian multi-arts visionary Francesca Bonci, following up the prismatic clip for the single 'Mirror' - both found on their 'Asylum Harbour' album, recently released via Kitten Robot Records.
Tombstones In Their Eyes will be performing on March 12 at Gold-Diggers in Los Angeles, kicking off a once-a-month residency for Kitten Robot Records and Final Girl Records. The LA-based psych-rock shoegaze collective is made up of long-time members John Treanor (vocals & guitar), Stephen Striegel (drums), Courtney Davies (vocals) , Phil Cobb (guitar) and Paul Boutin (guitar), along with new band members Joel Wasko (bass) and Clea Cullen (vocals).
"'Gimme Some Pain' was written in May 2023 - one of the worst years I've experienced since way back in my 20's. Life was falling apart, I was feeling heavy guilt and shame. Suicidal ideation almost every day. I have no idea how I managed to perform normal functions like go to work along with all the other responsibilities I have. All that is background to the song's creation. I realize that, compared to those in really unfortunate circumstances, my problems are probably pretty petty, but the thing about pain is that it's a subjective experience," says John Treanor.
"I don't usually write on acoustic guitar but I like to mix it up occasionally. The song is made up of some pretty simple chord progressions that rolled right out. The lyrics are like a mantra repeated over and over. A mantra about where I was and what I was feeling at that time. The chorus, which just came out of my mind as is, turned out great and is in a range where I can sing it with a lot of energy and feeling".
Named after a maritime phrase for a safe place to wait out a storm, 'Asylum Harbour' is about resurfacing in a new phase of healing following the pandemic. Produced and engineered by Paul Roessler (45 Grave, Twisted Roots, The Screamers, Nina Hagen), known for his work with Josie Cotton, Hayley and the Crushers and Gitane Demone, this record was co-produced by the band's frontman John Treanor and recorded at Kitten Robot Studios.
As a professional new media artist, Francesci Bonci has created videos for numerous artists, including The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Collin Hegna for his Federale project, The Dandy Warhols' Peter G. Holmström a.k.a. Pete International Airport and Slowdive's Rachel Goswell. Bonci is a visual champion, highlighting the triumph of color and light in her works and mixing captured photographic images and video with chromatic and luminous tapestries, often using vintage analog elements.
'Asylum Harbour' follows the band's 'Sea of Sorrow' album, this new record seeing Treanor pull past the pain, numbness and chaos imbued in that previous offering. Earlier, the band released 'Sweet as Pie', 'I'm Not Like That', 'In Your Eyes' and the supercharged 'I Like to Feel Good'.
What began a decade ago as two childhood friends (Treanor in LA and James Cooper in NYC) swapping demos quickly grew into a full-fledged band with a healthy stream of expansive music, laced with fuzzed out psychedelic majesty. Writing and performing is Treanor's way to deal with anxiety and depression, to speak about a subject without being the centre of the conversation, and to express oneself in a subliminal way. TITE's music gazes into the universe as much as inward toward the soul.
Tombstones In Their Eyes performs next on March 12 at Gold-Diggers in Los Angeles, along with TwoLips and NOAMZ. This show kicks off Kitten Robot Records and Final Girl Records residency, a killer once-a-month event that runs through to June, showcasing electrifying performances from underground legends and emerging indie talents. Kitten Robot Records offers the vanguard of indie and punk, fusing bold experimentation with high-octane energy. Final Girl brings the spirit of the fearless and the feral, spotlighting women, trans and non-binary artists who push boundaries and refuse to be tamed.
'Asylum Harbour' is out now, available on CD and on snazzy red vinyl, as well as digitally everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Tickets for the March 12 show are now available online.
