Album Review :
Teeth for Eyes - Mines Along the Strand

Many of you will already be aware of the deep credentials held by Teeth for Eyes: members have played in Cicero, Empty Tomb, Godspeed, Crux, Government Hate Mail and many more. Naming these connections is both helpful and problematic. Sure, it tells us that the band members are seasoned veterans of the punk/indie scene, but how much does it tell us about the current music?

While musically the band are still cranking out fast-paced punk rock with touches of both hardcore on the one hand and/or alternative/grunge on the other, they are somewhat of an anomaly in that they have a singer. Not a screamer, growler, screecher or anything else, but a bona fide singer. If this was a pop-punk band, that wouldn’t be unusual, but when the tempos and tunes are as fast and furious as these, it’s unusual. And it’s just this atypical approach that gives the band an edge.

The band’s approach hasn’t changed dramatically since 2023’s self-titled LP, but the production is a little cleaner this time. Don’t worry though, no punk edge has been lost on Mines. I think what I enjoy the most about this band is how current and fresh it sounds, while also sounding like it could have come out in the mid-90s. The band isn’t averse to trying new tricks either. In addition to the melodic singing paired with punk riffs, “Twelve” features the effective use of vocal harmonies; album closer “The Day Called X” features brass instrumentation (and no, it’s not ska).

Lyrics are less preachy in the project than in the past, whether with Empty Tomb (Gospel heavy) or Crux/Government Hate Mail (politics and issues heavy) and tend to be more introspective/relational. Case is point is “Everybody Knows” which is an attempt to reach out to someone struggling:

Alone, you carry a load
You carry a load
You carry a load
Carried by the sound of all the time
You wasted now, everybody knows
The sands have drowned, the life you wanted

While the addressee isn’t clear, the reflection holds true. Consequences of life’s choices catch up with us eventually.

Faith statements aren’t absent from Mines though. “End of Time” is a clear reference to the return of Christ. The song serves as both a warning/call for preparation as well as a longing in the heart of the believer:

Separate your mind
From the things that seek to destroy life
Fractured by sign
A signal that will petrify and hide
Leading by the stars
Deception is a permeating lie
Falling sons will reign
Until the day that sight will transcend eyes
I eschew
Breaking through
Nothing’s done
Without You, without You, nothing will ever get
Broken by the sound
A crack will split from sky unto the ground
Among burial mounds
Acclaim will resonate in new resound
Swords will come from mouths
A gleaming white will glint a new profound

Looks like Teeth for Eyes can still preach after all. It’s just in more subtle, nuanced, poetic tones.

Stream, download, or order physical copies from The Charon Collective