When light has gone
Snow angels will turn to grey
Dark veil of our embrace
Into an Endless Lunar Gaze
In Ancient Greek mythology, Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, was seized by Hades and taken to the underworld. The earth, reflecting Demeter’s sorrow, became barren. A negotiated settlement later permitted Persephone to divide her time between the surface, signaling the arrival of spring, and the underworld, ushering in winter. This recurring cycle illustrates the seasonal shifts, embodying themes of renewal and decline, and representing the equilibrium between light and darkness in the natural order.

Snow Angels, the latest release from Canadian dream pop ensemble VERTTIGO, celebrates the sublime beauty nestled in the deep, frozen quietude of those long, frigid northern winters. This ethereal track, evoking the stylings of Weyes Blood, Zola Jesus, Cocteau Twins, and Chrystabell, offers a refreshing breath of polar air. VERTTIGO (who hail from Edmonton, Alberta) seamlessly blur the lines between dream pop, shoegaze and goth music, capturing the hushed exhilaration of watching the first snowflakes gently accumulate, enveloping the world in a serene, soundless blanket. The song distills the spellbinding calm and profound stillness of a snow-covered landscape, wrapping listeners in its enchanting chill.

The lyrics express a sense of ethereal connection and romantic melancholy under the moonlight, where the speaker feels the presence of another, described as holding onto heaven. As the night progresses, there is a shift to solitude and fading memories, symbolized by snow angels turning grey. The song conveys a longing to transcend the physical through a mystical, lunar gaze.

VERTTIGO wanted to create an immersive experience that transports the audience to a realm where the often chilling aspects of a dark winter night are presented as soft and beautiful, so they enlisted figure skaters Mackenzie Mah and Mikala Cutler to perform an exquisite ice dance.

Directed by Morgan Gold and filmed by Chase Gardiner, the visually stunning cinematography blends VERTTIGO’s dark allure with the elements of an ethereal snowscape.

Evoking themes of love, death, and rebirth, the music video alternates between scenes of band members performing amid a relentless blizzard and figure skaters in a dance of resistance and surrender, moving towards and away from an inevitable embrace. This interplay, like Demeter and Hades seeking compromise for the warmth of Persephone, highlights the tumultuous and cyclical nature of human connections, mirrored by the elemental fury of the storm. (There is also a beautiful nod to the exuberant snow scene in Edward Scissorhands).

The beauty of this song and video will surely thaw the iciest of hearts. Watch below:

With subdued synths and muted guitar tones, Verttigo cloaks themselves in black attire and dark makeup, a visual echo of lead singer K A R Í M A H’s haunting vocals.

“We are in a constant spiral of Love, Death, Loss & Rebirth. Living in Verttigo,” they proclaim, succinctly encapsulating their artistic ethos and embracing a cycle of emotional extremes that defines their music and performance style.

Snow Angels is out on all streaming platforms, and as a limited edition 7″ record with Los Angeles-based Dum Dum Records. The B-side to the single will feature VERTTIGO’s New Wave-inspired rendition of Mazzy Star’s dreamy Fade Into You.

Snow Angels is also available now on all major streaming platforms via Dum Dum Records.

Listen below, and order here:

Snow Angels / Fade Into You by VERTTIGO

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The post Canadian Dreampop Ensemble VERTTIGO Debuts Video for “Snow Angels” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, steeped in history and cultural richness, also possesses a distinctly moody and introspective side. The city’s gloom is often enhanced by its weather—overcast skies and biting winds are particularly prevalent during the extended winter months. Such climatic conditions are a fitting backdrop to the historic architecture dotting many neighborhoods, where Victorian homes and centuries-old structures loom with gloom.

This atmospheric setting extends into the city’s artistic and literary spheres, which frequently delve into themes of melancholy and the Gothic-with-a-capital-G. Philadelphia was the haunting ground that sharpened Edgar Allan Poe’s focus on the macabre, infusing his work with a sense of dread that mirrored the city’s own dark corners. Similarly, David Lynch found both inspiration and a frankly terrifying quality in Philadelphia, elements that profoundly influenced his surreal cinematic masterpiece, Eraserhead.

This blend of beauty, history, melancholy, and resilience makes Philadelphia a profoundly intriguing city, and its resident dark wave band Night Sins reminds us that the brooding spirit of music is certainly not confined to the castles and cobblestones of Europe. After forging an alliance over a decade ago, this group has become synonymous with the city’s darkly atmospheric character, marked by pervasive dread and crumbling edifices.

Night Sins captures the essence of their city while channeling influences from The Sisters of Mercy and Clan of Xymox, seamlessly integrating touches of The Nephilim and Mission and 1980s darkwave into their music. This combination creates a deeply layered soundscape where bass and drums make a forceful entrance, guitar riffs weave through with precision, and minimalist synths clear the residual haze. Kyle Kimball’s vocals slice through this textured backdrop with sharp clarity and strong presence. Amidst the surrounding darkness, Night Sins stands out, boldly carrying the torch with distinct style.

Now Night Sins announce the release of a new single, Silver Blade, a curveball of a song that’s set them on a true tradgoth side quest. Sounding more like a lost Sisters track than their usual style, it’s a particularly welcome shift during this series of gloomy spring rainstorms on the East Coast.

“Silver Blade is maybe the first truly collaborative Night Sins song,” says Kimball. “Chris just started strumming the main riff and I said we should make it a song. Vince wrote some leads and Cassandra sussed out the rhythm parts and the rest is history. It’s a song about fractured relationships. Sometimes you have to accept the reality of the end and move on. ‘Tear me up. Not for show but all of the way.'”

The video is a murky cavalcade of glitches: it depicts the band playing in a dimly lit club, an eerie and mysterious venue that suits the song’s ambience perfectly. Watching it, one is swept into the visceral thrill of experiencing music in such an intimate, shadowed space—feeling the rhythm throb throughout your body in the blessed darkness.

(Warning: this video may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.)



Night Sins’ upcoming EP, A Silver Blade in the Shadow, slated for release on May 17th via Born Losers Records, appears set to solidify their position in the realm of dark music. This five-track mini-album promises to underscore the band’s signature fusion of intense sounds and a raw, unpolished edge that distinctly defines their musical identity.

Pre-order here

A Silver Blade In The Shadow by Born Losers Records
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The post Philadelphia’s NIGHT SINS Debuts Video for Brooding Gothic Rock Dirge “Silver Blade” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

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The sun is sinking in the tiny window
And I still write the same old song about you.
I’ve never seen your face nor your golden wings
But every night I see you in my dreams.
What can one add about a band named Dead that isn’t immediately apparent? The very moniker suggests a brooding intensity, and indeed, these French architects of somber sound wield a powerfully dark aesthetic even before a single note is played. Yet, it’s when they begin their performance that they truly reveal their full, formidable force.

Four years since their last EP, Dead have been resurrected with a hypnotic new shoegaze-addled single, Angels, a precursor to their eagerly anticipated album, Paradise, set for release in November 2024.

“Angels fall from heaven,” the band posits. “But are they white angels, pure and working for peace, or black angels, fallen from paradise and messengers of death? Or perhaps they are gray angels, our own angels, our sad and worried doubles?”

Angels offers a poignant reflection on an unseen, yet profoundly influential figure—someone who has left an indelible mark on the protagonist’s dreams and early years, despite a stated skepticism about the tales surrounding this figure. As daylight fades, the lyrics explore the persistence of memory and self-doubt, with the devil’s mocking grin serving as a metaphor for external skepticism.

The track resonates with the influences of Suicide, The Soft Moon, A Place to Bury Strangers, and the poetry of Anne Clark, weaving a complex emotional and musical landscape that hints at the depth of the upcoming album.

Directed by Mickaël Auffret, the music video for “Angels” is a raw, glitch-filled vision that captures Dead’s live intensity. The footage, shrouded in smoke and interspersed with eerie, EVP-like sounds, suggests a spectral presence—ghostly voices that seem to issue a foreboding caution. This visual approach effectively complements the song’s themes, creating an atmosphere that is both disquieting and intriguing.

Watch the video for “Angels” below:

If Dead isn’t plotting the apocalypse, they’ve certainly crafted its soundtrack. Angels is bleak and confrontational, yet it maintains a masterful control over rhythm and infuses deep grooves. It’s the kind of music that invites reflection over a cup of black coffee on a moonless night.

Pre-order Paradise here and check out the single below:

Angels by Dead.

Catch Dead live:

2024.11.13 Trabendo, Paris (FR)
2024.12.07 Setmana Santa, Toulouse (FR)
More TBA…

Follow Dead:

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The post French Outfit Dead Unleash an Industrial-tinged Post-Punk Dirge With Their Video for “Angels” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

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Here in the nightmare we’re smoke in the sky,
Burning through air, falling through time.
Insomnia is a relentless condition that fractures sleep patterns, leaving individuals trapped in a cycle of restlessness. It frays the edges of the mind, leading to impaired cognitive functions, diminished concentration, and heightened emotional responses. The constant struggle to achieve rest exacerbates stress and anxiety, casting a shadow over daily activities and eroding mental resilience. Insomnia thus becomes both symptom and source of distress.

This condition sparked inspiration for Alethea Leventhal of NYC’s Ships In The Night, who had long dealt with those long nights of restlessness. The result is The Fire, a track from Ships In The Night’s sophomore album, Latent Powers, released on Cleopatra Records.

Leventhal’s soothing, angelic voice (think The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs meets Enya) contrasts sharply with her lyrics’ dark content, which paint a vivid picture of an apocalyptic aftermath where the speaker and companions linger as ethereal smoke in a ruined landscape. This imagery of being perpetually engulfed in flames serves as a potent metaphor for overwhelming, unmanageable emotions. In this chaotic realm, references to celestial bodies and untamed spirits amplify the sense of colossal, indomitable forces, both surrounding and permeating the speaker, highlighting a persistent state of upheaval and metamorphosis.

“The Fire is a meaningful song for me because it chronicles the lifelong struggle I’ve had with sleep,” Leventhal explains. “Insomnia and nightmares have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I wanted the music video for the song to show some of the nightmares which seem to live in the collective unconscious- losing our teeth, showing up in public and realizing that you’re naked, being lost and confused in an old house that feels familiar yet scary. We all live different lives with so many different experiences, yet when we sleep our minds wander to similar, strange places.”

Watch the video for ‘The Fire” below:



For nearly ten years, Ships In The Night, Alethea Leventhal’s solo endeavor, has been sculpting dark dream pop from her base in New York City. Her music draws on dreams, recollections, and the faint whispers of the external world, crafting an atmospheric expanse marked by expansive waves of synths and dynamic rhythms. Leventhal’s work evokes an environment that resonates with depth and motion, a testament to her unique musical vision.

Listen to The Fire below, and order Latent Powers here:

Latent Powers (Digital) by Ships In The Night

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The post Wandering Through Strange Places — Ships in the Night Drift Through an Ethereal Dreamscape in the Video for “The Fire” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

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Ein intimes Video von HANGING GARDEN, in dem sie fünf Songs vor einem kleinen Publikum in der finnischen Designfirma Paja & Bureau vortragen, ist im Vorfeld der „Citylight Sessions“-EP online gegangen, die am 19. April über Agonia Records in digitaler Form erscheint. http://hanging-garden.org

Info:
Auf „Citylight Sessions“ enthüllt das finnische Ensemble eine Reise in das Urbane und das Ätherische. Die unverwechselbare Veröffentlichung zeigt eine Reihe von alternativen Wiedergaben von fünf Titeln ihres von der Kritik gefeierten Albums „The Garden“ von 2023, die eine frische, atmosphärische Perspektive auf ihren charakteristischen Sound bieten.

 

Source: Amboss-Mag.de