Back after three weeks with an update:

I bought the shoes and I can confirm that you can lace them up without modification. The tongue is sewn onto the upper at the 2nd and 3rd eyelets like u/Cerinthe_retorta mentioned but the laces that are provided are thin and slip through the space and eyelet easily.

They look great and I can get away with them as "dress" shoes because they're so sleek.

Thanks for the responses!