8 Great Goth albums from Summer 2025
Welcome to the first installment of Last Dance, our new goth column. This, of course, raises the question: what is goth? Considering the broad range of artists falling under this banner varies wildly, the answer might not be limited to sonic definitions alone; for example, what do Cocteau Twins, Type O Negative, or Alien Sex Fiend have in common? They all share a darkly experimental way of romanticizing longing, isolation, loss, and melancholy; it can be both abrasive or elegant, or in the case of Skinny Puppy, both simultaneously. We are going to explore all the subgenres that make up the larger concept of goth, including post-punk, death rock, darkwave, dream pop, industrial, witch house, neofolk, shoegaze, and some of the more vampiric strains of doom metal.
All of the subgenres share in the rich history of the genre’s bigger picture. A transcontinental stirring of shadows made sound perhaps stirring to life amid some of the Doors’ more brooding introspective moments and Bowie’s cocaine-induced occult paranoia becoming the moody offshoot of the British punk scene. This led to what we know now as goth down the syringe-littered back alleys of Los Angeles, where it mutated into death rock and was pumped out sideways in the new wave grinding in London’s disco clubs, while at the core of its DNA was a celebration of darkness. It’s sometimes tense and vulnerable in its expression of depression, and at other times full of overwrought drama. It has less to do with the fashion tropes of clove cigarettes and black lipstick and is about music that resonates with the shadow self viscerally.
However, being true to its DNA can lead to stagnation, so the balance of honoring the past while keeping open ears for new sounds is essential. It might not seem that way when goth DJs are prone to spinning the same old Front 242 and Sisters of Mercy tracks behind the excuse that’s what people will dance to. We here at Treble have long championed new music, and this is going to provide a more focused ear into what artists are going bump in the night, in new and exciting ways, so let’s dive into it.
Note: When you buy something through our affiliate links, Treble receives a commission. All albums we cover are chosen by our editors and contributors.
Edna Frau – Slow, be gentle, I am virgin
This Italian post-punk project is less about the Halloween window and more into the introspection coming from the anxious warble of the vocals. This band is not using Ouija boards to conjure up the sound of the past, but rather writing songs with an organic, guitar-driven approach.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
Bootblacks – Paradise
This Brooklyn-based band is dancing in more of a darkwave direction with their new album Paradise, delivering a new songs driven by synth pulses. The reverb-slathered guitar sits back in the mix, content to haunt the backdrop, and the ’80s-aligned dark pop brought to life here has all the hooks you could hope for.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Amazon (vinyl)
Die Sexual – Desire
Once their hyper-sexualized branding catches your attention, this duo from Los Angeles clobbers your eardrums with their massive techno sound that recalls the glory days of Lords of Acid. But rather than recreate a sound from years past, they take a forward-thinking approach to their pulsing, percussive sound. This album feels like it should be pumping in an after-hours club where the latex and cocaine flow in equal proportion.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
The Discussion – All The Pretty Flowers
Life after Kylesa took a darker turn for Laura Pleasants, reflected in how her new project’s debut album of shoegazing post-punk ponders mortality and processes grief. It’s emotionally heavy as a hazy atmosphere blankets the tense basslines that prowl the shadowy landscapes of these songs. All the Pretty Flowers offers a wide range of dynamics and stylings to convey the gloom.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Amazon (vinyl)
Peter Murphy – Silver Shade
In the pursuit of new music, I’d be remiss to not honor the efforts of our Goth-fathers, since former Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy still sounds great at 67. His latest comprises new wave ditties that would not sound out of place on his ’89 classic Deep. It’s not as dark as Bauhaus, though it is true to the era. He keeps the ’80s pulse churning to pay a great deal of service to his fanbase. When his voice sounds this great, it’s hard to complain.
Listen: Bandcamp | Amazon (vinyl)
The Cure – Mixes of a Lost World
This was released with relatively little fanfare, which is sort of a shame as the artists Robert Smith invited to reimagine The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World album (including Four Tet, 65daysofstatic, Daniel Avery and Deftones’ Chino Moreno) made some interesting choices. This remix triple-album gives a snapshot of other sonic regions that goth could evolve into, due to the influence of icons like Robert Smith whose interests reached beyond the songs most of us know from ’80s night.
Listen/Buy: Spotify | Rough Trade (vinyl)
OWLS – Death Games
This Irish band follows a similar darkwave path taken by projects such as Boy Harsher and TR/ST. The songs take a slight detour on the dancefloor, and the frantic mood feels more like lo-fi new wave, without the ’80s radio aspirations. Odd swaths of noisy effect help lock into a hypnotic drone as the groove lulls you into an altered state that branches away from the goth music of the 80s
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
Sowulo – NIHT
This neo-Pagan folk project from the Netherlands is not just making droning hymns to pay homage to their elder cultures. Though they pay respect to ye olde days, they write actual songs that go somewhere and are worth repeat listens. Indeed, there’s a ritualistic feel to what they do, but with memorable verses and choruses.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Amazon (vinyl)
From the Crypts
Ministry – The Squirrely Years Revisited
The jokes about when Ministry sounded like Depeche Mode wore thin on Uncle Al. He began polishing off the early songs for live sets even before releasing Hopiumforthemasses. This collection is a re-recording of the songs from the Twitch and With Sympathy era, with vocals that are more in line with how Al Jourgensen sings now, with guitars providing a little more heft
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)
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