#and some of my favourite non goth songs this year were probably happy - mitski dead lines - skinny puppy and dilaudid - the mountain goats

[gothethite]

Fave goth songs this year: 1. Crescent and the star - Sunshine Blind Gothic Rock

Honestly my favourite Sunshine Blind song objectively is probably burned at the stake now, but I'm a bit emotionally attached to this one. I spent a lot of time this year driving around alone and camping etc. to see cool landscapes and stuff + moving around between states so yeah. I really like the buzzing instrumentals and the way the singers vocals kind of match that in a way that's a bit hard to describe.

2. Telekinesis - Altar de fey Deathrock

I really like all the space imagery and stuff in this song, I read a lot of science fiction and this song just feels like a scifi short story thing. Also I really like the way the fast, discrete drumming contrasts with the guitar where all the notes blend into each other.

3. A fever dream - Mors Syphilitica Ethereal wave

This was my ethereal wave year tbh, I used to not listen to it much but it was probably my top genre this year. I love the really dramatic soaring instrumentals and vocals but the drums make it a lot more like, heavier and driving in contrast to a lot of ethereal wave I find a bit boring. Also the singer's vocals are so cool.

4. Silent Thunder - Mephisto Walz Deathrock

So according to spotify Mephisto Walz was my top artist, and though I also listened to a ton of stuff on youtube, bandcamp and mp3s that's probably right overall. I absolutely love Mephisto Walz's instrumentals and the kind of monotone sinister vocals go so well with them... they're probably my favourite of any bands I can think of.

5. Strange Weather - Dead Spells Deathrock? Their bandcamp and stuff says post punk and darkwave but the drumming and guitar sounds make me think deathrock tbh

Ok usually I like really dramatic instrumentals and stuff but I also really like the spooky more hollow sounding usually deathrock stuff but I think it's reallyyyy hard to do well without sounding boring but all this band's stuff is great. The lead singer's voice is great and I like the kind of tense tone of the lyrics. I could listen to this song on repeat for hours tbh.

6. The Future - Second Still Post Punk

Second Still is a really great band I'm so sad they broke up :(. They're also influenced by no wave so they've got some really interesting rhythms and stuff, it's more obvious in some of they're other songs on the album. The lyrics and stuff are also interesting it's very detached yet kind of upbeat which like so true...

7.Valentine - Sisters of Mercy Gothic Rock

The instrumentals and stuff make such a spooky ambience I love it. Also I think the anti war and militarism message is really relevant (Like yeah Andy's pretty obnoxious in a lot of ways but the anti militarism messages and critique of cold war unhinged nationalist mutually assured destruction stuff are so true. I keep seeing people going 'gothic rock has always been apolitical' and it's like mate. sisters of mercy is NOT subtle lmao what do you think the rain in first and last and always represents...) + the juxtaposition of really mundane imagery of everyday stuff and descriptions of like conflict really feel like this year tbh like I wake up in the morning and read the news and it's like wow. there's a lot of horrible stuff happening, a terrifying rise of far right groups and climate change and stuff. ok time to make breakfast and go running and study for my bio test I guess.

8. Dusk of Hallows Gothic rock? Post punk?

Corpus delicti has the best synth of goth bands imo. ok 100 years by the cure is extremely good too but the echoey soaring synth in corpus delicti is really good in way more songs it's so dramatic and the switching between the quieter synthy bits and the loud drumming and guitar works really well.

9. Remedios the Beauty - Strange Boutique Ethereal wave

I love the instrumentals in this, like I love screechy soary synth and guitars and stuff but this song kind of did the opposite with more clear instrumentals sounding a bit more like plucked strings I guess and it sounds really cool! Another of the songs that got me really into ethereal wave this year.

10. You bleed me - Suspiria Darkwave/Gothic rock

Over the last year Suspiria has become my go to 'it's 4 hours past time to go to sleep but I really need to finish this essay'. Very upbeat and also kind of fun in a silly vampire way. In a slightly different world where I was a more social person this would be the drag king music I would pick tbh.