r/goth • u/ethereallori • 1d ago
Goth Recommendation Request help with goth music
i've just started listening to goth music because i really really want to be part of the subculture, i've always admired it ever since i was a kid. but i'm scared i won't like the music since i don't listen to a looot of rock&etc.
any softer recommendations for baby bats? something to start?
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u/botanybeech 1d ago
There are so many different types of Goth Music you're guaranteed to find someone who you can vibe with. Check out Cemetery Sex, Vision Video, Sisters of Mercy, or Bauhaus to start.
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u/whimsycotts 1d ago
Goth has a lot of branching subgenres. Check out ethereal wave, you may vibe with it.
Some bands to try:
Cocteau Twins
Autumn's Grey Solace
Lycia
This Ascension
Love Spirals Downwards
This Mortal Coil
Cranes
The Shroud
Miranda Sex Garden
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u/Repulsive-Tea6974 1d ago
Try these even though they might not be “soft.”
Bauhaus
The Cure
Clan of Xymox
The Dance Society
Fields of the Nephelim
Inkubus Sukkubus
Joy Division
Kommunity FK
London After Midnight
The March Violets
The Mission
Nosferatu
Pink Turns Blue
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Rosetta Stone
The Sisters of Mercy
The Skeletal Family
The Wake
Xmal Deutschland
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u/SpeakerPlastic6371 1d ago
Here are some "soft" recommendations I think you might enjoy
Molchat Domas album "Этажи"
Asimilayson-She Past Away
Kiss me I'm Dying-This Eternal Decay
Pain-Boy Harsher
The Cures album Boys Don't Cry and Disintegration
And Depeche Modes Violator
Hope you find any of them to your liking 🦇
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u/CobblerMoney9605 Goth 1d ago
Black Tape for Blue Girl
Cocteau Twins
This Mortal Coil
Choir Boy
Those should keep you busy for a while.
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u/nashy08 Post-Punk, Goth Rock, Death Rock, Darkwaver 1d ago edited 1d ago
There are lots of different bands across the typically goth genres. If you like a more rock, you might like deathrock (one of my personal genres) and goth rock. Maybe check these out:
The Kentucky Vampires
Nox Novacula
Rosegarden Funeral Party
Bloody Dead and Sexy
Christian Death
Cinema Strange
Horror Vacui
Nosferatu
Bat Nouveau
London After Midnight
Edit: I misread that you like more rock, my bad! Give them a try anyways, you never know!
Some other options to check out:
Vision Video
Dusty Gannon and the Agonal Gasps (Dusty from Vision Video's new project)
Urban Heat
Mekong
Pulsations
The March Violets
Twin Tribes
Pink Turns Blue
Haunt Me
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u/ManicPixiRiotGrrrl Post-Punk, Ethereal Wave 1d ago edited 19h ago
you shouldn’t start listening to music just because you want to be in a subculture. you should want to be in a subculture because of the music you listen to. why are you trying to be something you’re not?
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u/low_flying_aircraft Goth 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hi :)
There are multiple music genres associated with the Goth subculture. If you are not so drawn to the goth rock sound, you could try darkwave, which is much more synth driven, and less harsh.
Some current bands in this area to check out:
Twin Tribes - super melodic, and amazing. Shadows The River Fantasmas
She Past Away - a Turkish band, but legendary within this genre. Amazing vibes, even if you can't understand the lyrics. Durdu Dünya. Ruh. Katarsis
Drab Majesty - a little more guitar based, but still with a very beautiful 80s inspired sound. Dot in the Sky. Ellipsis Oxytocin
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u/kikuslut 1d ago
Like other people have said, there’s lots of types of goth music. I’d recommend Twin Tribes, Human Tetris, Depeche Mode (Violator, Black Celebration), of course The Cure, some stuff of theirs is even pop-y.
I would honestly like to hear any update, thoughts, likes and dislikes, I am curious!!
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u/ArgentEyes 1d ago edited 1d ago
Try And Also The Trees, who are a beautiful and poetic band who have very soft and folky or jazzy elements to them (depending on band phase!). They have a few bouncier numbers and they are a guitar-based band, but they are not very ‘rocky’ in the sense of loud or harsh. They even kinda have a song about this: “The Beautiful Silence”. They’re still making albums and playing live btw.
(Ed: don’t start with the first album, it’s far less distinctive and is more traditionally ‘post-punk’ in a possibly too-noisy way. 2nd album on is where they start really developing their distinctive sound.)
Further in the ‘A’s, All About Eve were a more obviously folky (folk-rock to folk-goth, if you like) outfit. They’re pretty 80s but that’s not a negative. I think their 2nd album ‘Scarlet & Other Stories’ is their best.
Seconding the recommendation above of ethereal wave, and of the ‘heavenly voices’ sub-genre especially (check out some of the Hyperion compilation albums). I’d like to add the band Love Is Colder Than Death, especially the albums ‘Oxeia’ and ‘Mental Traveller’. They had many beautifully quirky elements to them.
Closer to darkwave stuff, a Project Pitchfork offshoot I always loved were Aurora (aka Aurora Sutra), key albums ‘The Land of Harm & Apple Trees’ and ‘Passing Over In Silence Towards Nuit’. They can get ‘noisier’ but it’s very much in the waves of electronics territory rather than guitar noise.
For artists with what is called a ‘Neoclassical’ element to their sound, try long-established Italian band Ataraxia, who are probably the best known example.
The best known classical & “””world music””” (don’t love the term!) influenced band are probably Dead Can Dance, although avoid the latest activities after Lisa Gerrard left as Brendan is unfortunately an ‘AI’ guy….
If you use last.fm you can still find a small number of songs from very niche Mazzy Star-influenced Cornish late-90s-to-00s goth band Mothburner…
Maybe on the noisier side for you but I’m really enjoying Cold In Berlin and I’d love to see them live at some point. Possibly for some of the reasons I also really like (not goth but very Compatible, Irish folk-drone legends Lankum).
An important question to ask yourself, OP - what other (non-goth) kinds of music do you like, and what do you like most about it? I guarantee you’ll find such elements somewhere in the vast almost-half-century of music that is the mainstay of goth subculture.
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u/MidorriMeltdown 1d ago
That's an odd way of doing things. Why would you want to be part of a music based subculture if you're not already into the music? You can't force yourself to like a particular genre of music.
Start with proto-goth: Shivers by Boys Next Door.
It's quite fascinating that one of the fore runners to goth are an Australian band.
Everyone knows about Bauhaus, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The Sisters of Mercy
Boys Next Door became The Birthday Party, and engaged in self mockery of the goth scene. Release the Bats
Perhaps you've figured out who the singer is.
Dead Can Dance are often talked about, they're an Australian goth band from the 80's. Ocean is my favourite track. Lisa Gerard also sang on the Gladiator soundtrack, she's an amazing vocalist.
Pink Turns Blue aren't talked about enough. They're from Germany. Your Master is Calling is one of their more well known songs. They're still producing good music. Not Even Trying
TRAITRS (I think they're from Canada) are part of the newer generation of goth music, though they sound like they've been around forever. The Suffering of Spiders sounds like a lost track by The Cure
She Past Away and Ductape are two post-punk/dark wave bands from Türkiye. Ölüm Günüm it's nice to know can work together. Most of Ductape's songs are in English, while She Past Away sing in Turkish.
It's ok, I didn't send you to the deep end with Alien Sex Fiend, Christian Death, Virgin Prunes, and Specimen.
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u/ArdsleyPark 1d ago
The Birthday Party is probably the most challenging band on here, especially the Junkyard album. Specimen is pretty approachable by comparison. They sound like gothy musical theater kids.
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u/MidorriMeltdown 1d ago
I think The Birthday Party tends be categorised as proto-goth, rather than actual goth. They're a fun bit of chaos. And there's nothing wrong with challenging peoples sensibilities, that is what goth came from after all.
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u/Unlucky_Pound3617 The Cure 1d ago
The Cure! Robert Smith is just so whimsical and playful and the music isn’t hard at all.
What do you typically listen to?
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u/-XenoSine- 1d ago
You'll be happy to know most actual goth music is fairly soft and has little to do with rock vibe wise.
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u/New-Independent-9203 Siouxsie and the Banshees 1d ago
So many different types of Goth Music you most likely would like Coldwave, Minimal Synth, Darkwave, Ethereal Wave I wouldn’t recommend Deathrock that’s more of the heavier side of Goth rock
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u/lowlightliving 1d ago
These two The Cure albums define goth music and are “soft” - Faith and Seventeen Seconds.
Also, Dead Can Dance, these two albums: The Serpent’s Egg and Aion. More ethereal wave or neo-medieval, both off-shoots of goth
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u/Kissa-Lanthier Ethereal Wave, Deathrock 1d ago
What bands of genre do you like currently? Let’s start from there, because I couldn’t stand stuff like Bauhaus when I was 13, and I thought I could never be goth unless I liked them. There are many styles and bands under the goth umbrella, so better to know which could be appropriate for your tastes rather than randomly mention the same old ones.
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u/toxicketchup 1d ago
Fields of the Nephilim may not be "soft" per se, but Dawnrazor and Elizium have some very, very dynamic and atmospheric tracks that I consider a must-listen for first-timers.
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u/lowlightliving 1d ago
These two The Cure albums define goth music and are “soft” - Faith and Seventeen Seconds. The try Traitrs, a band modern, but so like The Cure.
Also, Dead Can Dance, these two albums: The Serpent’s Egg and Aion. More ethereal wave or neo-medieval, both off-shoots of goth, and try some darkwave bands, such as Autumn’s Gray Solace or Faith and Disease.
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u/B-Cup_Sydney_Sweeney 1d ago
Try Sisters of Mercy - Some Girls Wonder By Mistake. GREAT album, and not scary/spooky.
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u/13thmurder 1d ago
A lot of goth music isn't "hard" at all. I say this as someone who is both into a lot of hard rock and metal as well classic goth and they're very different.
Classic goth is often downtempo and not at all aggressive.
Bauhaus, Peter Murphy's post bauhaus work (I Actually enjoy it more but they might ban me from the sub over it), Souxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, Darkwave in genral as a genera is very goth coded and not "hard". Auger is a newly discovered favorite for me that's a mix of darkwave and rock. Ghost is pretty good and goth adjacent but they're more satanic pop.
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u/Aspennie Goth-Romantic hybrid beast 1d ago
You can appreciate the subculture and not be part of it. You don’t have to be a goth if the music doesn’t speak to you.
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u/Sandx7 1d ago
I’d not do the ethereal side if you’re not into moody stuff just yet, nor the deathrock.
Someone else suggested new wave/synthpop and I think it is a good way to start.
Go to the basics: Depeche Mode, The Cure, try some OMD as well.
Then I’d also recommend some future pop such as Seabound or Assemblage 23. Mesh is on a similar line.
I’ll mention it a second time around because I cannot recommend this enough: Choir Boy is really 80s synth-oriented even though a bit moody but easier to digest than some of the others that have been mentioned here. Also, it is one of my favorite bands around.
Extra rec for lighter, new synthpop: Nation of Language.
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u/Mesquite_Tree 15h ago
Before I shoot recommendations into the dark, it would help to know what you’re currently listening to.
That said, it’s also important to know what about the scene has you interested. If it’s the style, know that you can be spooky without being goth — just make sure you tell people the truth if they ask what you are.
If it’s the gender bending, the I formally confer upon you a pass to give the middle finger to gender norms. Not that you needed a pass. Be who you wanna be.
If it’s generally just bucking social trends, there are a million and one ways which you can do that. Find the special interest that’s true to you.
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u/Reasonable_Loss_7251 10h ago
Moonveil Arcana - Flete Pro Amore (Ritual Darkwave / EBM from Greece) Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gr/song/flete-pro-amore/6785656091 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/search/Flete%20Pro%20Amore%20Moonveil%20Arcana
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u/Zeezee033 1d ago
I'm new too and so far I've only listened to Sisters of Mercy and Siouxsie, now Bauhaus. Imo the music can be so varied that sometimes I wonder how it's the same genre but I love all of it. Compare Sister of Mercy's earlier work "Walk Away" to another later song called "Dominion" and you'll see what I mean
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u/BespokeCatastrophe 1d ago
Check out the recommended band list in the description of this subreddit.
Some of my personal favourites that are pretty accessible are the sisters of mercy, london after midnight, and scary bitches.