Since their emergence in 2020 with debut single Public Service, Last Tourist have been quietly — but very deliberately — building a discography that reads like a lost volume from the alternative rock archives of a parallel universe. With 2021’s ‘Black Raven’ (featuring the mighty Simon Scott of Slowdive on drums), the spectral ‘Cave in the Hills’, the magnetic ‘Lust’, and a 2023 reimagining of The Cure’s ‘Lullaby’, they’ve mapped out a world that’s as much tethered to the stars as it is to the foundations of noise-rock, post-punk and synth-laced shoegaze.
Their self-titled debut album Last Tourist in 2023 was the culmination of that early journey — a dense, delirious and deeply impressive statement of intent. And now, with ‘Slowly Fade’, they’ve hit escape velocity.
On this release the band have this to say.
“‘Slowly Fade’ shows a darker side of the band leaning towards the darkwave combined with shoegaze reverberating guitars and featuring extract of Ian Curtis last interview before his tragic death.”
Let’s dive in and see where Last Tourist are taking us with this one.
The track begins with what sounds like a transmission from a dying satellite, Curtis’s ghostly voice barely coming through. From the first breathy, echo-drenched vocal line, ‘Slowly Fade’ announces itself as something grander than anything they’ve released before. This isn’t just a new track; it’s the band stepping through the veil into widescreen territory.
The addition of Paul Kehoe (of Peter Hook & The Light) on drums injects a propulsive urgency into the song’s shimmering murk. His playing is all texture and tension — pulsing like an anxious heartbeat beneath the layers of synth and delay.
‘Slowly Fade’ is a stargazer’s delight. There’s a clear lineage to their influences: you hear the moodiness of The Jesus and Mary Chain, the cold pulse of Gary Numan, the layered hypnosis of My Bloody Valentine, the astral ache of Spiritualized, and even the crystalline dread of Suicide. But this isn’t some shoegaze tribute band. Last Tourist aren’t imitating — they’re channelling, mutating, and pushing forward. Oh and let’s talk about the atmosphere — because, this track is thick with it. The fuzz here isn’t just texture — it’s emotion. The synths don’t just sparkle — they mourn. There’s a sadness in this song, but it’s the beautiful kind. The kind you lean into. The kind that makes the dark feel inviting.
The song title itself — ‘Slowly Fade’ — feels like both a threat and a promise. You get the sense that the track is collapsing in on itself, drifting further into space with every passing second.
What’s most exciting about ‘Slowly Fade’ is what it signals. This is a band not content to bask in the cult glow of their early successes. This is a band evolving — leaning harder into ambience, pushing further into abstraction, and yet still anchoring everything with structure, hooks, and feeling.
‘Slowly Fade’ is a deeply impressive track that manages to feel both carefully constructed and utterly effortless. With an upcoming album on the way, ‘Slowly Fade’ feels like the calm before the (beautiful) storm. If this is the direction Last Tourist are heading in, then buckle up, because we’re in for a journey of cosmic proportions.
‘Slowly Fade’ is out on 6th June 2025 on all major digital platforms via 1991 Recordings. Vinyl collectors — keep your eyes peeled for a physical release on their next full-length. You’re going to want this one on wax.
You can follow Last Tourist on social media here …
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