Teen Gothic

For some reason, I have a hard time finding new (to me) and interesting goth or goth adjacent bands, and this sub has helped out so much just scrolling through before. so, I thought I’d see if you guys could point me in a direction to go exploring, as my playlists have gotten a bit stale.

Here’s some bands/ artists/ groups I like, and if you know of a band or group that sounds similar, I’d appreciate if you shared the name 🙂

-fields of the nephilim -the cure -strawberry switchblade -Cocteau twins -drab majesty -Depeche Mode (I know they’re not goth just thought I’d list) -vision video -Lebanon Hanover

feel like it's becoming more fashion than music. I've always had a problem with labels because everyone interprets goth in a different way, for example I never shared this hobby with my mother because I know how she will react so I keep it from me and her. Is there any sense in telling her this? No.

She won't understand what it is. When you describe a person as a goth, it automatically sounds weird to a lot of people.

And it's funny because it turned into something super dramatic. It's all about the music you listen to. So what is Goth actually? A person who likes gothic music? A person who dresses gothic? Because a lot of people like the style but they don't really know about the music and that's okay.

I feel that most people see it as a super weird and super alternative label that makes a person super weird just because they dress a certain way. For example: a few days ago I showed my aunt a shirt with a skull and she said "Until now when I saw people wearing such a shirt I thought they were super strange" as if I made her understand that it is not a big deal and it is not that strange.

I hate being told "you look goth" beyond the fact that I don't really look goth most of the time. I don't look goth I am goth because I listen to goth music.

It's hard to explain my point, and maybe it's just because of where I live, but it really annoys me.

There's a gulf between Sisters of Mercy and something like Twin Tribes or Forever Grey, but we all intuit them as 'goth' and i'm just wondering how this developed, historically.

EDIT: Misspoke here, did not mean to imply that synth or darkwave is a modern thing, but more that it's far more prevalent now as a dominant goth sound and was curios as to how we still consider this music to be goth (not that i disagree with that at all).

So many bands are reviving themselves after breaking up. Most of them don't even bother to write new material and just try to survive a live tour of fan favorites. It can feel like a bit of a last gasp at times. Then along comes the best goth band to come out of the 90's dropping new material. Corpus Delicti sound i n c r e d i b l e in 2024.

I felt they were always ahead of things back in the 90's compared to their peers. Great live shows as well floating around youtube.

They're a great example of how eschewing trends and finding your own sound, is why you can come back sounding the same decades later and not sound dated in the least. I'm here for it.

I recently stumbled upon this band called Life On Venus which is labelled as Dream Pop and Shoegaze. While we know that some dream pop and shoegaze can sound similar to goth, this particular band sounds a little bit too goth for dream pop standards. It literally sounds more goth than a lot of bands labelled as darkwave and ethereal wave that are posted here. I would say it's on the same level as Drab Majesty and probably more goth than mid-era Cocteau Twins which is generally accepted here without questions. Here are a few songs, what do you think?

• Camera Obscura (this one has noisy shoegaze parts, but otherwise it sounds very goth-like)
• For the Kill (this one is on the same level as Drab Majesty and almost approaches Twin Tribes)
• What Lies Beneath (this also has a noisy shoegaze section but is otherwise very similar to Drab Majesty and Twin Tribes, even the vocals are a little bit similar to Drab Majesty and would not be out of place on a goth album)
• Summer (this one has a little bit more prominent bass which would not be out of place on a goth album)

If you don't think it's goth, then what makes it different from goth music in your opinion and where is the exact border between dream pop/post-punk and goth? So far the only things I can note are the noisy sections that are pretty different from what can be generally found in goth music, the vocals are a little bit different. Otherwise it easily passes as ethereal wave IMO.

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I would first like to say that yes I do know that post brexit wave is not goth in the slightest with most bands adopting a more art rock and no wave sound and others staying well away from goth adjacent sounds. Fontaines DC dropped Skinty Fia in 2022, an album which seems to lean into dark post punk sounds and aesthetics that feel borderline gothic or at times full on gothic post punk. I've also started getting into up and coming underground acts like heartworms and nightbus. Heartworms probably could be best described as post brexit wave adjacent post punk with a gothic twist and nightbust are what would happen if the xx went gothic. What do you guys think of these bands and artists? Anything similar right now within the goth scene that you would recommend or other British bands with similar sounds you listen to?

This is the third time this has happened so I know it's not a coincidence.

I'm a babybat and only started becoming more visibly alternative in the past few years – I have black hair, snakebites, a septum piercing and very visibly tattooed arms and legs. Today I was walking through the shopping centre, just in shorts and a t-shirt, no alternative makeup on, and two adult-sized (but they certainly behaved like children) men saw me and made fake puking noises.

I try not to let it get to me because at the end of the day I'm very happy with my style, I finally feel like the outward me matches the way I always saw myself in my head, but I'm a sensitive bean and it's hard not to feel self-conscious and sad after something like this, especially since it's happened a few times in public now.

I'm in Melbourne, Australia for reference – I'd heard of boys barking at goth girls before but the puking thing seems to not be so common, at least when I've tried to search for similar experiences online.