Tag: goth

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: TRAITRS Returns with Propulsive and Anthemic “i was ill, you were wrong”

With the release of their first three albums, 2017’s Rites and Rituals, 2018’s Butcher’s Coin and 2021’s Horses in the Abattoir, Toronto-based coldwave duo TRAITRS — longtime friends Sean Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker — firmly established a sound that blended horror-based imagery with anthemic choruses and cinematic, atmospheric soundscapes. And during that time, the duo evolved from bedroom artists selling cassette tapes to amassing millions of streams globally and playing hundreds of shows internationally. 

The Canadian duo’s highly anticipated Josh Korody-produced, Matt Colton-mastered fourth album Possessor is slated for a March 13, 2026 release. According to the band’s Shawn Tucker, Possessor is “the most personal record I have ever written.” The album was written during Toronto’s coldest winter months, informed by storm battered days and a heavy emotional landscape. The pair focused on capturing precise moods, with lyrics serving as the material’s driving force with the surrounding soundscapes grew to mirror the bleak beauty of the writing process.

Possessor will feature the previously released “Burn In Heaven,” a track that channels The Cure, Bauhaus, Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins, while showcasing their unerring knack for crafting rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses. The album’s second and latest single “i was ill, you were wrong,” continues a remarkable run of brooding and cinematic material. And while channeling a synthesis of New Wave and goth in a way that brings The Cure and New Order to mind, “i was ill, you were wrong,” is a chilly yet achingly heartfelt and intimate tune that showcases the duo’s rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses.

Thematically, the song examines humanity’s denial of its mortality and the complicated structures we build to distract ourselves from the fear of the inevitable, including the fragile bubbles we often create to shield ourselves from the one deeply universal thing that impacts us all — death.

“I felt that song connected me to everything and everyone, it is the one thing we all share and have in common,” the band’s Shawn Tucker says. “It is also a wake up call to live the life you want to live. We only have one chance at this so go dance in the rain.”

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Live Concert Photography: Bonnie Trash with Clone and The Acute at The Wood Shop 11/13/25

Live concert photography of Bonnie Trash with Clone and The Acute at The Wood Shop earlier this month.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay Sylvia Black Shares Brooding and Sultry “Talking in Tongues”

Los Angeles-based multifaceted producer, singer/songwriter, bassist, performer, restless performer and JOVM mainstay Sylvia Black has had a long-held reputation for being difficult to pin down. And since her first job singing and entertaining at a resort hotel in Northern Japan as a teen, music has been the JOVM mainstays lifeline.

Throughout her career, Black has steadily gained momentum as a writer and producer, consistently creating music on her own times, while simultaneously cementing her place in the post-punk and goth-romantic renaissance and been restlessly creative. Her lengthy credits reflect her eclectic tastes and wide-ranging abilities. She was the frontperson of the New York-based trio KUDU with Deantoni Parks (drums, production) and Nicci Kasper (keys, production) in the early 00s. Black also has writing and recording credits with Grammy Award-winning pop act Black Eyed Peas, Daphne Guinness and more. Her lengthy resume includes collaborations with legends like Tony Visconti, Lydia Lunch and Moby, as well as The Knocks, Armand Van Helden and French electro pop duo Telepopmusik. And last, but definitely not lease, her sultry rendition of ‘I Put A Spell On You” appeared on the hit Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

As a bassist, Black has played with The Brand New Heavies‘ N’Dea Davenport, Living Colour‘s Muzz Skillings and with Maya Rudolph’s Prince cover band Princess.

The JOVM mainstay’s newest album, the 11-song Shadowtime is slated for a January 16, 2026 release. The album sees Black continuing her long-held approach of songwriting from the bottom up. “I find a beat that I’m in love with and go forward,” Black says. “The bass provides the floor, but as a singer, I’m also coming in with the roof. If you can write a beautiful song with just those two elements, bass notes and the voice, that’s a job well done.”

Written, produced and performed primarily by the JOVM mainstay the album was crafted with support from longtime mix engineer and creative foil Ruddy Lee Cullers. The album’s material will reportedly be a haunting exploration of nostalgia and futurism, that sees Black pushing her sound in new directions by weaving hypnotic rhythms, cinematic layers and raw, visceral emotion, while moving effortlessly from dance floor anthems to atmospheric meditations on love, loss and transcendence. “This album is about finding beauty in ruins,” Black says. “About letting the shadows speak through me. Returning to California brought out the memory and soul of my goth days gone by.” 

Shadowtime‘s first single “Talking in Tongues” is a brooding blend of goth, New Wave and shoegaze that seemingly nods at Suicide, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees and others, featuring a relentless motorik groove and industrial-like thump serving as an atmospheric bed for Black’s sultry delivery.

Black says, “It’s about one who has lost their agency by letting outward elements control them and deceive them. Or, a drunk bitch.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Ireland’s Crá Croí Shares Brooding and Anthemic “Radiation Romance”

Deriving their name from the Gaelic word for “heartache,” “vexation of spirit,” County Cork-based duo Crá Croí — RG (songwriting, production, mixing and mastering) and CD (vocals and visuals) — have employed a fiercely DIY ethos while establishing a sound that meshes elements of 1980s New Wave, post-punk and goth, featuring melancholic synths, dark melodies, angular guitars and sharp, hook-driven vocals.

The Irish duo’s work explores themes of nihilism, love and destruction, dystopian collapsed and nuclear annihilation, often wrapped in irony and paired with post-apocalyptic metaphors.

The County Cork-based duo intend to release a handful of singles with an album and select live shows played over the next year or two. According to the band gigs happen only when the setting is right, because for the duo “art comes first” and their integrity matters more than exposure for the sake of exposure.

Their latest single, the brooding “Radiation Romance” seemingly channels She Wants Revenge and Interpol: swirling and angular power chords are paired with eerie atmospheric synths, a relentless, motorik-like groove and rousingly anthemic hook and chorus that serves as a stormy bed for CD’s punchy, yet Paul Banks-like vocal. Thematically, the song focuses is a tongue in check take on the nuclear annihilation that would make Vincent Price proud.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Philadelphia’s Sri Lanka Shares Brooding and Driving “Solstice”

Sri Lanka is a Philadelphia-based band that originally formed back in 1986. The band quickly established a sound that draws from goth and post-punk, as well as elements of alternative rock and psych rock. They saw extraordinary popularity in the Philadelphia and New York underground music scenes of the late 1980s and 1990s before going through a series of tumultuous lineup changes following the departure of founding member and the tragic death of frontman Brett Turner

Suffering from depression, Turner took his own life back in 1989, when he was 20. The band went on to try out several vocalists before landing on Jose Maldonado. And with Maldonado, the Philadelphia-based post punk went on to record and release 1992’s Shadow and Ivy EP and 1993’s Here. Friction between band members Erb and Maldonado started early on and ultimately led to the band splitting down the middle shortly after the release of Here with Erb and Chairs going in one direction, Maldonado and Stein going in another. Rob Studt retired from music altogether.

Erb went on to rejoin his original founding partner Lee Daniels and formed the band [needle] in 1995.

Back in October 2020, the band announced the forthcoming release of Leviathan on their Facebook Fan page, after a 25 year hiatus. And that November, they released the album’s title track “Leviathan.” They also released two live recordings from Christmas 1998 at Philadelphia’s Club Memphis and February 1989 at Philadelphia’s Revival.

Leviathan‘s latest single “Solstice” is a driving bit of goth-tinged post punk featuring shoegazer guitar textures and industrial thump that seemingly channels Cocteau Twins and contemporaries like ACTORS, while showcasing the band’s ability to craft a driving and rousingly anthemic, catchy hook and chorus.

The band explains that “Solstice” was a previously unrecorded song written back in 1991 that may arguably one of the best songs they’ve ever written.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Velatine Teams Up with Holly Purnell on Brooding “Oh See Me — The Siren”

Loki Lockwood is a Melbourne-based songwriter and producer and creative mastermind behind the darkwave/goth recording project Velatine, which for the bulk of is history saw him crating a unique and fresh take on a familiar and beloved sound through experimenting and working with different vocalists.

Earlier this year, the Aussie producer and musician collaborated with Nocturna on the slow-burning and broodingly cinematic “Till Death Do We Art.” But with Lockwood’s latest Velatine single, “Oh See Me — The Siren,” the Melbourne-based musician and producer collaborates with Holly Purnell, who was discovered through an Instagram ad seeking a vocalist and then recruited to be the project’s full-time vocalist.

On “Oh See Me — The Siren,” Purnell’s remarkably Siouxsie Sioux-like vocal is paired with a brooding and glitchy industrial-meets-post-punk production that continues to showcase Lockwood’s unerring knack for catchy hooks.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: TRAITRS Shares Broodingly Cinematic “Burn In Heaven”

With the release of their first three albums, 2017’s Rites and Rituals, 2018’s Butcher’s Coin and 2021’s Horses in the Abattoir, Toronto-based coldwave duo TRAITRS blended horror-based imagery with anthemic choruses and cinematic, atmospheric soundscapes. And during that time, the duo evolved from bedroom artists selling cassette tapes to amassing millions of streams globally and playing hundreds of shows internationally.

The Canadian duo’s latest single, the Josh Korody-produced, Matt Colton-mastered “Burn In Heaven,” is their first single since the release of Horses in the Abattoir. Channeling The Cure, Bauhaus, Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins, “Burn In Heaven” continues a run of broodingly cinematic material that showcases their unerring knack for crafting rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses.

Lyrically, the song is inspired and informed by the harrowing real-life soy of 23-year-old Anneliese Michel, who underwent 67 exorcisms before dying of malnutrition — a tragedy that exposed the devastating consequences when blind faith eclipses medical science. Exploring themes of religious extremism, possession and the clash between faith and science, “Burn In Heaven,” is perfect for spooky season while being big club and arena friendly.

“The song deals with possession and the extremities of faith vs science,” the Toronto-based duo explains. “It examines the instilled religious beliefs where people think they’re going to get a pardon by god for horrifying acts when they get to heaven. It’s this idea that shaped the entirety of our new record.”

The band’s forthcoming album Possessor is slated for release next year.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Saint Avangeline Shares Ethereal and Yearning “Limerence”

Saint Avangeline is a rising Atlanta-based artist, who over the course of two albums and a collection of singles has crafted a body of work that’s deeply rooted in her personal journey with mental health struggles, domestic and growing up queer in the South, while offering an unabashedly honest exploration of inner turmoil, rage, hope and resilience.  “Most songs are like a diary for me,” the Atlanta-based artist explains. “Exploring my mental health struggles. Trauma, intense feelings. Like sucking the poison out.”

Over the course of the past few years, she has amassed a rabid fan base, while amassing almost 80 million streams on Spotify, 2.3 million monthly Spotify listeners and almost 5.5 billion streams on TikTok.

The rising Atlanta-based artist’s latest single “Limerence,” is a slow-burning and ethereal track anchored around ambient electronics and Saint Avangeline’s yearning and achingly tender vocal. Sonically nodding at a cinematic, fever dream-like take on Stevie Nicks, Kate Bush and others, the song tackles themes of obsessively devotion and love leading to ruin, and the intoxicating pull between desire and self-destruction.

“I feel hazy listening to it. Dreamlike state. Written in a bad time of my life and so my subconscious wrote it,” Saint Avangeline says. “The lyrics were written at a Starbucks in 2022 – I thought I was writing a love song, but was in an abusive relationship.”

“Inspiration is fueled by an intense emotion that I cannot shake,” she continues. “Lyrics are written in a stream of consciousness within a very short sitting – 20 minutes. The composition and vocals are not different, and usually are completed within a day. I have chromesthesia and all of my songs work within a color palette in my head. These upcoming releases all have a nostalgic yearning, but in the order they are written, they go from this place of dreamland delusion, to starting to wake up to having a hazy recollection, to facing the future and having genuine change, eyes open.”
 

The accompanying video captures a feverishly swooning and Gothic-era sapphic love affair, that emphasizes the desperate yearning at the core of the song.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Death of Lillies Share Broodingly Cinematic “Savior”

The Death of Lillies is a new project featuring:

  • Adam Bravin has developed and maintained a reputation for remarkable versatility, gaining recognition for his exceptional talent as a DJ, at one point, becoming the go-to dj for the likes of Prince, Dr. Dre and Stevie Wonder. His ability to blend genres seamlessly and create unforgettable music experiences has also seen him launch club nights like Giorgio’s at The Standard and many more. But he may be best known for his partnership with childhood friend Justin Warfield in She Wants Revenge, an act that has seen massive radio play, sold hundreds of thousands of records globally and toured with Depeche Mode, The Cure and Placebo while headlining their own tours and festivals.

  • Rising, Atlanta-based artist Saint Avangeline. Over the course of two albums and a collection of singles, the Atlanta-based artist’s work has been deeply rooted in her personal journey with mental health struggles, domestic abuse and growing up queer, while offering an unabashedly honest exploration of inner turmoil, rage, hope and resilience. In a relatively short period of time, she has amassed a rabid fan base.

The duo’s latest single “Savior” is a broodingly cinematic track that showcases the duo’s sound: Bravin’s signature ominous yet dance floor friendly soundscapes serving as a lush bed for Saint Avangeline’s haunting, darkly seductive vocal. “‘Savior’ is about the complicated truth that sometimes the ones who need saving the most end up being the ones who save us,” The Death of Lillies’ Adam Bravin says. “It’s about the quiet strength found in vulnerability, the way pain, when faced, can turn into something powerful and transformative.” 

He adds, telling Northern Transmissions, “The track was written as a theme for Arkhan the Cruel, a powerful and cinematic character from Dungeons and Dragons lore. There was something about Arkhan’s dark, unrelenting energy that shaped the entire sound. When Lily and I first started working together, I played it for her, and the spell that had captured me instantly captured her too. From there, we reshaped it together into something entirely our own.”

The accompanying video directed by Bravin and Ben Haslup was shot in a gorgeously cinematic black and white, and follows Saint Avangeline on an epic journey towards finding her other musical half.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 68th Birthday, Peter Murphy!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Peter Murphy’s 69th birthday.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Paris’ Bliss My Heart and Cliff Estatof Team Up on Anthemic “Sinner Sinner”

With the release of their debut EP, 2020’s Morningstar, the Paris-based artist Bliss My Heart quickly developed a sound that draws from Bauhaus, Depeche Mode and Lana Del Rey. Thematically, the EP’s material touched upon love, travel, childhood and life.

The Parisian’s latest single, the Cliff Estatoff co-written and co-produced “Sinner Sinner” continues a run of material that channels Bauhaus and Depeche Mode while showcasing an artist with an uncanny knack for a catchy hook and a rousingly anthemic chorus.

Thematically, “Sinner Sinner” focuses on how you can take control of your life back through your choices and emotions — if you trust in yourself, your own energy and in your energy. “Everything is possible, just see it and believe it,” the Parisian artist says.

The accompanying video is shot in a cinematic yet subtly glitchy black and white, and features the Parisian artist and her collaborator, Cliff Estatoff singing and performing the song in a stylish series of closeups.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Velatine Teams Up with Nocturna on Brooding and Cinematic “Till Death We Do Art”

Melbourne-based songwriter and producer Loki Lockwood is the creative mastermind behind the darkwave/goth recording project Velatine, which sees him crafting a unique and fresh take on a familiar and beloved sound. In fact, with Velatine, Lockwood is unafraid to experiment and works with different vocalists while weaving aspects from goth, Darkwave, post-punk and industrial music.

His latest single “Till Death We Do Art” feat. Nocturna is a slow-burning, and brooding bit of goth-tinged post punk which features Nocturna’s Anika-meet-Nico-like delivery paired with layers of eerie synths, bursts of strummed guitar and cinematic strings. “Till Death Do We Art” may arguably be the most cinematic-leaning post punk song I’ve heard in sometime, while showcasing Lockwood’s penchant for catchy and anthemic hooks.

Lockwood explains that “Till Death We Do Art” is for the creatives of the world, focusing on the highs and lows creative endure while following their muses. He adds that the song is dedicated to a Ukrainian painter named Ksenia, who regularly shared Velatine’s music with posts featuring her art on Instagram before the project was on the platform. He got to know her a little through the site, but because he’s an Australian, who is often far from any sort of violent conflict, it was the first time he knew someone living in the middle of war.

“Having that ever present threat as part of your life, disruption to normality, what we take for granted here and the devastation of losing her lover I found her often in my thoughts. If I didn’t see her post, I’d check to see if she was alive.” He adds that song was largely written before all of this but the chorus wasn’t there. One time, he checked in on Ksenia on Instagram and her instagram tag “Till Death We Do Art” jumped out of him. He was convinced that was the missing piece that summed up the emotion of the song. ” I’d read these words before on her page but this time I saw them in a new light, I knew immediately where they also belonged. Everything fell into place and the last lines, “we’re upset by war, and worry for them all” are for her,” he explains.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 68th Birthday, Siouxsie Sioux!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates SIouxise Sioux’s 68th birthday.