Teen Gothic

I discovered the band through Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines that, after it assaulted every sense in my body with an overdose of 2000s that i didn't knew i so desperately needed to sate my nostalgia, introduced me to a plethora of incredible goth and non-goth artists and bands that i couldn't understand how i had never heard before given my interests in music were very closely aligned. I don't know if i qualify as goth but gothic imagery, films, literature, music, video & tabletop games and fashion captivate me to no end. Gothic influenced music in particular i was introduced to from a very young age thanks to my dad.

Among them was Darling Violetta and while their A Smaller God is pure eargasm, its Second Skin that left the deepest mark in me. Somber, sincere, intimate and full of adoration one can only dream of. Yet at the same time tragic, toxic, obsessive and desperate. Most people agree that it speaks of a ghoul (vampiric thrall) longing for her vampire master but in reality i think its simply about a relationship that has either fallen apart and at least one lover is still trying to dream about it OR its about a relationship fighting to become "too good to be true" but fails, yet it has some moments that reach very close to that goal, further fueling the unattainable dream. Depending on the mood i am happy to interpret it as either meaning or both. Still, to me it is an entrancing, romantic and dark. It preplexes me, it mesmerizes me. I want to share it with someone special. Its a piece of music that in these days fuels my inspiration to write and create and gives me comfort in my mandatory army service.

went to a fairly new local goth night tn and no one was dancing. it was my first time at that venue so i didnt know anyone & tried making conversation w this sound bloke who was sat alone at the bar, after about an hour of chatting i asked him if he wanted to go downstairs (to the dance floor) as the bar was getting round capacity & he said he didnt like how loud it was so i said alright, ill prolly see you later then. went downstairs and nobody was dancing. just people talking to their mates and some proper sat down not even trying to sway w the music. i tried dancing but i felt dodgy n out of place which is a feat for a goth night. was so surreal i just up and left an hour earlier than planned. sat waiting for my taxi rn – everyone there seemed lovely n im glad i made the effort to go but i really struggled w how closed off the whole place felt, mind u the tickets cost about seven quid

I mean it. I want to cry my eyes out. I’m looking for something more gloomy sounding but anything works.

Too many people refuse The Cure being goth, just because they only hear their pop songs like Why Can't I be You? or Lovesong. What are some of their most goth songs? Currently I have:

Lullaby

A Forest

The Blood

Seventeen Seconds

Old school or old school sounding preferred

not intending to spread any hate or negativity! I was just wondering what are the opinions of the community about it 🙂

For me it's Christian Death I'm still trying to get into them but I don't understand why they are so loved I didn't find anything special or particularly enjoyable about them.

And if I'm being honest? I really like goth music but I haven't found bands that I like a lot of their songs. I consider myself a fan of the genre and not a fan of any band/artist.

For me it's Metallica being called goth for simply changing their appearance to black eyeliner, black hair and black fingernails

There's more goth bands out there than you can shake a stick at and a vast number of them were small outfits with few releases and next to no presence online. There's something special and enchanting about the obscure goth band. The band that never really went anywhere, the band that could have been great but never got there and faded away into a murky obscurity. Especially since in the current online landscape it's much harder than ever before to be obscure. Many, many of these small goth bands struggled uphill and it did not pay off for them. Most of them simply broke apart.

I find that sort of melancholy, that sense of unfulfilled dreams and sense of loss to be fitting! I often find myself pondering, yearning and thinking about the obscure bands that I've listened to that now exist only as cult, underground stuff to be appreciated by a small circle of people, or sometimes not even that. Sometimes they exist only as a memory, a band someone once saw back in the late 80's and early 90's, someone may have their original tape or vinyl stashed away somewhere.

I feel like we often focus on just a rotating cast of well known bands, so it'd be sweet for everyone to have a chance to throw out a really obscure band that is your personal obsession. They deserve it.

My personal pick is Shamefaces. Active for only a few months from 1992 to 1993 and with only two cassette releases, and only two songs available on YouTube, A Tale of Two Men and Shadowboy. Very little info on them online besides the band member names, most of whom have moved on from the goth scene it seems, but some are still active musicians.

Previously, they were a different obscure band, Dëx Cröix. They released one (REALLY good) EP and have a YouTube account that's over 15 years old and only has some really poor quality recordings of them in a Battle of the Bands tournament in 1988.

So, what's yours?