Tombstones In Their Eyes rise again with Alive and Well, a track that sounds like it clawed its way through the desert, dust in its teeth, sparks under its tongue. It follows Under Dark Skies, but this time there’s a different kind of charge: controlled chaos, bruised brightness, the kind of feeling you get when the power comes back on after you’ve given up hope.
This one carries weight because it carries grief. It’s dedicated to guitarist Paul Boutin, who left this world far too soon. As Paul Lovecraft, he kept releasing music even after doctors carved too close to the very cords that carried his voice. He met John Treanor a decade back at Kitten Robot Studios, two musicians orbiting the same cracked universe until eventually landing in the same band. And here he is again, all over the track, leaving fingerprints on every note.
The lineup is a small constellation: John Treanor on vocals and guitar, Paul Boutin on guitar, Nic Nifoussi on bass, Paul Roessler on keyboards, Stephen Striegel on drums and percussion, plus backing vocals from Courtney Davies, Clea Cullen, and Joel Wasko. They don’t play like a group—they sound like a collective memory trying to stay alive through sheer volume.
The song is powerful: voice circles the same bruised horizon, begging for a glint of something real—light, hope, faith, truth—anything to break the gloom long enough to reject it or embrace it. It’s a chant from a soul parked at the edge of dawn, stuck beneath unending heaviness.
The truth lands with a thud in Treanor’s own words: “When our beloved friend and guitar player lost his life on 10/18/25, we were shocked, confused and incredibly saddened. Paul was so kind, generous, intelligent and always optimistic. Being in TITE was a source of pride and joy for Paul. He was so easy to be around and was dedicated, driving many hours for practices and shows, always bringing his cheerfulness and optimism. We miss him greatly and are glad he is all over this record,” says John Treanor.
Treanor continues with a gut-punch of clarity: “We were initially going to scrap Alive and Well as a single after Paul’s passing (for obvious reasons), but because it was one of Paul’s favourites and a song on which he played guitar, we are going ahead with the release. The lyrics are about rising out of desperate circumstances with newfound strength – something Paul himself experienced, having dragged himself out of his own difficulties to ultimately rebuild a life full of joy and purpose. While not planned that way, Alive and Well ended up being a statement of intent – a story of a journey from despair to strength.”
You feel every inch of that intention: no sermon, no self-help sparkle, just a band trying to punch through the gloom and reach something worth holding.
The video comes from Italian multi-arts visionary Francesca Bonci, whose work with Federale, Philip Parfitt, Peter G. Holmström, and Rachel Goswell already put her in a world of her own. Her images don’t explain the music, they orbit it, distort it, nudge it into stranger shapes.
Watch below:
Alive and Well arrives about a year after Asylum Harbour, but the new record is built from upheaval: personal storms, old chapters closing, new ones cracking open. Paul Roessler recorded and engineered it, dragging his years with The Screamers, Nina Hagen, and 45 Grave into the frame. John Treanor co-produced, while multi-platinum engineer Alex DeYoung mastered the whole beast into a final blaze.
On December 5, Under Dark Skies lands via Little Cloud Records (US) and Shore Dive Records (UK/EU), vinyl included.
Listen to Alive and Well below and order the single here.
See more videos from Tombstones In Their Eyes (Under Dark, and Gimme Some Pain):
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