7/10

Emerging from the murky alleys of Chicago’s underground, The Gothtones conjure a record that feels like a séance, a dive bar gig, and a haunted house all rolled into one. Their latest release 'Gothtones' is a bold, genre-defying tapestry, stitching together everything from post-punk and gothic rock to junkyard blues and even mersey beat. With frontman Jerret Cortese at the helm and longtime partner-in-crime Doug Patinka on board, the record fuses eerie storytelling with a playful, shape-shifting musical spirit.

Take 'Piranha' for example: it slithers and snaps, propelled by razor-sharp lyrics and a rhythm section that bites just as much as it grooves. Meanwhile, 'The Two of Us' feels like a ghostly daydream, its melancholic swirl anchored by Ann Filmer’s haunting vocals, echoing heartbreak through cracked walls and fading wallpaper.

Each track feels like a different room in a derelict mansion. 'Tragedy Menagerie' offers a carnival mirror of humanity’s messiest emotions, while 'Skin And Bones' trudges through urban desolation with a bluesy snarl, its chorus a desperate plea for shelter. 'Requiem in Blue' is a doomed love ballad adrift at sea, equal parts cinematic and gut-wrenching.

Then there’s 'Deadbolt and Chain', a mischievous, night-stalking anthem that turns paranoia into a danceable threat, and 'The Candivores', which is pure Halloween mischief, gnawing at your sanity with gleeful menace. Even lighter cuts like 'Gimme Sunshine' flirt with madness beneath their jangly, piano-driven exterior.

Recorded partly at Electrical Audio (a shrine to raw, unfiltered sound), this record carries a palpable sense of place and grit. Mastered by Greg Obis, it sounds both immediate and timeless, an echo chamber for all the ghosts of rock’s past and future.

'Gothtones' is an invitation into a fever dream where genres melt, shadows dance, and the weirdness feels like home. It’s a record for anyone who loves to wander down the midnight hallways of the mind and find something surprising lurking around every corner.