#the anthems of two heretical cults???

[crocutacanidae]

A mashup of these two songs would be so cool

[rafry]

Euclydia, Cults and Need for Control

Disclaimer: this analysis raises sensitive topics. if you are/were a victim of a cult and the topic triggers you, please refrain from reading further(/seek help). Additionally, I am not a specialist on said topic, nor am I a clinician. But I am a survivor, so part of the narrative may or may not be just me projecting the trauma on a silly yellow triangle. That said, reader discretion is advised! :)

The take: Euclydia is likely to be a cult-like society and the reason Bill, after years of abuse, grows up to be as he is: a power-hungry monster. Let's analyze!

For the starters, The Start. Each state has its own anthem. How lucky that we were kindly provided with the Euclidian hymn (hidden under the code "FORGETTHEPAST")! Lets take a look:

"Two dimensions to and from, You always know which way to go If you're lost, don't be afraid, In Euclydia you've got it made! Run too far too right of frame, You'll appear on left again! Jump too high, don't fry or fret, You'll pop up from the ground, I bet! In this place there is no fear, Roles and rules, always clear, Euclydia, we hold you dear…"

That tells us way more than we could've asked for, really. The most important: Euclydia is a state of Clear Rules™. Everything works perfectly thanks to The Rules and The Roles, and the state is loved by it's citizens. It's might be a caricature 2D utopia, but how it reacts when the rules are questioned?

"Eye doctor of a different kind, who wants to make his patient blind The doctor says: 'three sips a day will make the visions go away' Fussy eater, baby Billy Wouldn't drink unless it's silly..."

If there's anything about cults and the way they make people behave, is that the "wrong" ones in the community are usually ostracized and/or heavily medicated to not cause any troubles. Those people are sometimes called 'heretics', but may as well just be called crazy or insane by their peers. Oh look completely unrelated picture:

"Cipher, Cipher, he's insane Starting fires with his brain"

Honestly, the other time it would be it. Euclydia, if not Is, then sure does Act like a cult in some way. I could've finished here, easily, but there's something missing, isn't?

"The hell do you mean by 'The Need to Control', OP?"

I mean that the BILLVILLE is important.

There's the thing about trauma survivors: some of us, after living a life with no control over ones societal position (ostracization/isolation), body (forcibly medicated) or even mind (feeling of inadequacy), crave for some form of control to be regained.

It can turn toxic very quickly when the only form of control one has ever seen in their life is being The Leader (cult leader/shitty parent/armageddon overlord/you get the idea, it's about becoming an authority figure).

And so, Bill becomes a cult leader! Very possibly covering up the need for control and admiration with what I call "The most inefficient way to build an Interdimentional Portal ever", since, well, he's got to lie to himself every now and then, that's his thing (trauma response).

As for the details:

He uses the dead mans body — the body that wouldn't cause any resistance, thus being perfect for taking under control.

He sees the position of the interviewer as more authoritative than the position of the interviewee — and he swaps the roles. That wasn't enough though, so he demands (politely) to be called "My Lord And Master" for a good measure.

He very possibly recreates some of Euclydia-like order in his own "Town" in terms of expressing individuality. They might've been pretty decent in following scripts, I think.

So, I don't think Euclydia has ever been religious in any way, since that would left some other scars on Bills psyche for sure. But highly authoritative, ignorant, strict in its rules to the point of self-damnation? That checks. That's the place that has formed Bill, after all.

That's the place that he wishes to rebuild.

Maybe not consciously, maybe distorted by his illness and broken memory of a loving-paradise-home that has never actually been that way, but he seeks the comfort of familiarity — most of us do. Familiar stings are better than an uncontrollable too-bright future, isn't?

I hope he does well on therapy.

[all-rock-and-roll-is-homosexual]

"Rhys you talk so much about the things you hate about modern goth music. Is there anything you actually like?"

WELL.

OK, so preface that I am very much a fan of guitars. I enjoy more of like, guitar based stuff and this list is going to reflect that. I have nothing against like more synth driven artists (Which, I'll be happy to do a list of those too...at some point) - I'm just a big dummy who likes good guitars.

I'll do my best to break down why I like each band/artist I list and include a link to a song, and I have also done my best to link songs that are no more than a few years old from each artist. With a few exceptions depending how good the song is. Or whatever I feel like, really. Also, like, this list is entirely subjective and limited based on my personal thoughts and opinions.

Actors - My GOD, Actors. Actors are just so good. Less riff-y on this list but undeniably post punk while still being very fresh. Great vocals from their singer - IDK who he is. I only pay attention to Shannon and Kendall tbh. But I just have to say like - great music, great image, great art direction (there's a video for almost every single song off the new album!) - the total package tbh. The song chosen here is "Strangers" - which features more prominent guitar than some other songs on the album. But hey, they're ✨versatile.✨ Did I mention my huge crush on Shannon and Kendall?

Wisborg. They do great music and they've got a great sense of image, which in my opinion is just as important as the music sometimes (tradgoths can stop wailing and gnashing their teeth now). What can I say? I'm not immune to pretty men in leather jackets and eyeliner. But seriously, I listened to every album they have available and loved them. The song I've linked is "I Believe In Nothing" which, while it doesn't exactly sound like the Cult - it's got sort of that anthemic and punchy vibe that the best Cult songs have.

All Your Sisters - I was overwhelmed the first time I heard Come Feel, which I've linked. Do they count as goth? are they post punk? are they (insert other label)? I don't know! But they sound amazing!

The Kentucky Vampires - They're a little heavier and sometimes get lumped in under the Deathrock label - but no matter where you place them they should be paid attention to. Their vocalist sings with his own voice and while it's undeniably got a great gothic quality to it it doesn't come across as him copying anybody else. The song I've linked for this one is "Holy Heretic", it's very much sort of a very identifiably goth song and makes no apologies for being that. Goth is not a dirty word in this household. My apologies to Siouxsie, Andrew Eldritch and Robert Smith.

Long Night - I admittedly don't know much about them other than them being Norwegian and that I like their music so 🤷🏻‍♀️ - I think they sound cool and not like they're trying too hard to be a new Sisters/Cure/Christian Death and that's all it takes for me.

Then Comes Silence - GOD, THEY ARE SO GOOD. The song I've chosen is "Warm Like Blood", the drums sound very...Bela Lugosi's Dead, but trust me the rest of the song makes up for that.

Ötzi - Only idiots pass up Ötzi. Nuff said. Song chosen is "Scorpio".

Ritual Howls - Really great sound that doesn't stick too closely to any singular genre but plays with its influences. It doesn't sound like someone who is out to make a parody of goth. Song chosen is "Alone Together".

Twin Tribes - I KNOW, I KNOW, I know I've complained about the overuse of the sort of synth clap sound in a lot of modern post punk stuff - but I still like Twin Tribes. A lot. Much more dreamy and post-punk than the previous bands on the list - great for twirling around in velvet dresses sort of thing. Heavy Cure influence, but still keeping it fresh and not an outright copy. The song I've linked is "Fantasmas" - which, honestly, just try to not dance to it. Bonus points for a cool video.

Christine Plays Viola/Winter Severity Index - I couldn't decide between the two of them, so you get both! These tracks are both stretching it a bit - both being about 8 years old. But they're just so incredibly infectious.

Special Mention goes to O. Children - who are really fucking great- they just haven't really released anything new since 2012. They released a live album earlier this year - but the recordings are from 2014. And also Secret Shame. I like one or two songs by them but I'm not super familiar with them and there's just something that doesn't quite cut it for me.

Hey, has anyone heard of that Crushed Kid band?