Teen Gothic

I know goth music extends to a lot of different sounds/sub genres and it doesn't all sound the same, but it's not too different than any other genre/sub-genre.

When trying to explain what is/what is NOT goth music, a lot of people get either offended, extremely confused or start arguing against this, as if goth music isn't a real genre of music and/or that it incorrectly extends to other bands/sounds/genres, or that a band/song isn't really goth music, but just a higher genre realm like post-punk or alternative and that the sub-genre goth never actually applies.

Why is this? What is it about goth music that people have such a hard time understanding as a genre?

It's not like if someone was listening to a Mozart symphony and you were like "oh wow, I love classical music so much", the average person would say "what are you talking about, that's not classical, there's no such thing as classical", or that they would say "Mozart is punk."

It also confuses me why so many people insist on calling other genres goth music. The classic examples being stuff like Depeche Mode, etc…

So many people get so defensive about this. They either haven't really listened to what the full spectrum of goth music sounds like, or they have and are confused and just feel the need to argue that certain bands/songs still are goth music when they clearly aren't. It's not like the average person would call Mozart, Jazz music. Why does this misnomer happen so often with goth music?

I get that there are some similarities within other genres that share similar sounds/instruments as goth music, such as synth-pop, industrial, ebm, etc… But anyone who has even the smallest amount of music theory knowledge would/can be able to make the deduction that, if one song/band doesn't have the vital elements/factors of a certain sound/genre, then that song/band won't be considered that certain sound/genre.

I suppose this happens within other genres too, but it seems like this is very big especially with goth music and I can't figure out why this is.

Any thoughts?

I'm looking for something that truly has a goth atmosphere, but with mosh riffs.

Right now the only things I can think of are Eyes of Fear and Portrayal of Guilt.

I've also heard a bit of deathrock/chain punk/black metal crossover, but honestly that sort of thing isn't my thing. I'm looking for cold post punk influenced atmospheric melancholy, combined with heavy mosh riffs.

My #1 song of all time, the song I've listened to more than any other, the song that will even be featured on my funeral playlist is Dark Entries. Yet, I only understand about 30% of what he's saying. The rest is just inaudible to me. Even following along to the lyrics, it just looks like a series of words but no interpretation is understood in my head. In English class, I always struggled the hardest with poetry. It's like scripture, it's words I know but I have no idea what any of it is supposed to mean as a whole. Is there a way I can help improve that trait? Plus, it would be great to understand the pain and misery Ian Curtis was actually feeling instead of just letting the music itself setting the mood

Need more goth bands like The Cure!

Hi !! My favourite band of all time is The Cure and i’m wondering if theres any other bands similar to them! I listen to other gothic bands but i feel they don’t hit the same way. Please let me know !!! Also if you know any more underground goth artists I’d love to check them out <3

(I clicked whatever tag but idc about when it came out)

Title

I'm still quite new here, so please go easy on me…

I've always listened to alternative music, Rock, Metal, Punk etc and more recently I've been listening to goth.

I'm listening to playlists on Spotify called things like "Real goth music" and there's a varied range of styles on there, spanning different decades. What I'm trying to work out is what ties them together and means they are classified as "goth", a lot of them I can't join the dots between, for example there's loads of Joy Division, which sounds nothing like the Sisters of Mercy.

Is it the subject matter, the vocal style, aesthetic of the band or something else, or a mixture of all three? (Or more)

The Cure have always been cited as one of the quintessential goth bands, but what makes songs like "Friday I'm in love" gothic and just not a pop song? Why is "Wasteland" by the mission not just classified as rock.

I'm trying to establish themes in my head, like bass driven melodies, chorus heavy guitars etc but this certainly isn't the rule for everything.

What makes a song goth and not just Rock, Dance, etc? I know it's not just about the aesthetic as there are people who dress in a gothic(ish) style that makes music that isn't considered goth, for example Cradle of Filth, which is probably where I first saw the whole corpse paint, black clothes aesthetic!

Post your links to new releases from 2000 or later, let's give some focus to new music. In the list below, you'll find some new releases from the past few weeks!

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Here's some great new releases:

• EarthaEye – "To The Deep EP" [Experimental/Post-Punk] [EP] (NC, USA) [NYP] [Released July 16, 2024]
• Deathhawk – "Р​е​к​в​и​е​м" [Deathrock] [Single] (Russia) [NYP] [Released July 17, 2024]
• OK Doomer – "Beating Again" [Post-Punk] [Album] (Argentina) [Released July 23, 2024]
• Glasszone – "Another Dark Place" [Goth Rock] [Album] (France) [Released July 25, 2024]
• Slower Avenue – "Somehow, Sometime" [Darkwave] [Single] (Vietnam) [Released July 26, 2024]
• Memory Drops – "Siluetas" [Darkwave] [Single] (Guatemala) [Released July 29, 2024]

Want more? Check out our other spreadsheets:

• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024

Don't forget about our ever-growing list of post-punk, goth rock, darkwave, deathrock, etc. releasing labels! If you want to post music you'd most likely hear in a goth club, please subscribe to r/gothclub.

Want more? Check out our other spreadsheets:

• 2021
• 2022
• 2023
• 2024

Don't forget about our ever-growing list of post-punk, goth rock, darkwave, deathrock, etc. releasing labels!

​

If you want to post music you'd most likely hear in a goth club, please subscribe to r/gothclub.