The friendly alternative rock band in the neighborhood that you hear over as they are rehearsing in the garage. It’s low-fi, relatable, and genuine.
The Beths – Straight Line Was A Lie
Black Angel – Kiss of Death
For goth rock, there’s this triangulation of post-punk to glam-velvet to rocker-dudes, and I could paint the amoeba visualization for all albums based on their style in this triangle. This one’s the least post-punk, and about equal rock-and-roll and glam. This is not goth to be sad about but one to dance to and drink deep crimson wine from large brass chalices by.
Angels Of Liberty – Servant Of The Grail
Classic goth rock. Besides the gloom and darkwave, some songs have a great hook, almost having a glam feel to them (like Son of Serpent and The Last Vampire).
kanekoayano – 石の糸 (Threads of Stone)
Cute and calm acoustic album. Kinda jazz, very light rock, pop.
Messa – The Spin
It’s dark like gothic but not black metal or post-punk goth, it’s well-crafted musically but not over the top progressive metal, it’s slow in tempo but not at all doom or sludge. I was a bit confused when they listed things like jazz and dark ambient in their influences, and then, the track The Dress goes into a full-on jazz depart before jumping into a cinematic transition and ending up with a fantastic solo and then the crystal clear vocals arrive… They really have it all. Still, it’s not a mish-mash of things but a perfect amalgamation and genre-bending.
Overall, Messa is just one of those most eclectic dark rock bands that put the sweetest sorrow in my throat. And The Spin is a beautiful album, gives me shivers over and over again. I can easily listen to this on repeat.
Update: I’ve just listened to the previous albums of Messa and now it’s clear why they mention stuff like drone, dark ambient, doom, or stoner as references for their music. There are actual full tracks with these aesthetics on earlier records. However, I think The Spin is a lot more evolved and cleaner version of their sound. It’s not so much all these styles living side-by-side anymore but having a great blend of these sources into one coherent voice.
Getdown Services – Your Medal’s In The Post
Apparently they define themselves as art-disco, but my hook on this record is Dog Dribble, which is rather an upbeat indie rock thing, as I see it. In any case, that song is such a smash hit, and again it’s so not about the fancy technique.
Also, it’s just ridiculous that almost all new records that I listened to and loved this year so far were British ones. The scene is on fire. (Or was at least, last year, since all these albums are from 2024.)
Deadletter – Hysterical Strength
Post-punk sensibility with indie rock vibes and occasional banger hits. The moody songs with the saxophone remind me of Morphine.
King Hannah – Big Swimmer
Honest, calm, heartfelt, soothing, mysterious. Alternative guitar music. The spoken word bits are the extra gold nuggets that I didn’t expect to find.
IST IST – Light A Bigger Fire
Post-punk goth rock vibes.
Fat Dog – WOOF.
Industrial electro-punk, eclectic as it should be. This vibe and zest brings me joy, makes me smile. I’d love to see this band live.