After playing 89 shows in 22 countries in a single year, The 69 Eyes have apparently discovered something they haven’t tried lately: turning the volume down.
The Helsinki goth-rock veterans have released “Brandon Lee (Forma Acustica),” a newly arranged acoustic version of their longtime favorite, out now through BLKIIBLK. The single offers the first preview of a full acoustic album scheduled for early 2027.
Originally released on Blessed Be in 2000, “Brandon Lee” takes its title from the late actor who starred in the 1993 cult film The Crow. More than 25 years later, the band has stripped the song back and approached it from a different direction without abandoning the darkness that made it part of The 69 Eyes’ identity in the first place.
The new version was mixed by Matt Hyde, whose history with the band includes producing 2009’s Back In Blood. His résumé also includes work with Slayer and Deftones, making him a fairly appropriate choice for an acoustic recording that probably wasn’t interested in becoming coffeehouse background music.
An accompanying video, directed by Elias Ryynänen and filmed at Suomenlinna in Helsinki, brings the song’s turn-of-the-millennium gothic aesthetic into the present. Models Corinna Puleo and Lotte Vainio appear alongside the band, adding a dose of catwalk glamour to a group that has never exactly treated black clothing and sunglasses as optional equipment.
According to vocalist Jyrki 69, the acoustic project grew naturally from several years of relentless touring. The band created new arrangements of familiar songs and developed them into complete acoustic versions, which will also form the basis of a Finnish concert hall tour beginning in February.
It’s a change of scenery for a band formed in Helsinki in 1989 that has spent decades occupying the territory somewhere between goth, glam and rock ‘n’ roll. Remarkably, The 69 Eyes continues with the same lineup after all that time.
Now they’re preparing to prove that the Helsinki Vampires don’t necessarily need walls of amplification to sound like The 69 Eyes.
The sunglasses, presumably, are staying.
“Brandon Lee (Forma Acustica)” is available now, with The 69 Eyes’ acoustic album expected in early 2027.
Information provided by The 69 Eyes’ publicity team.