SONG REVIEW: Haunter - "Dance Gothica"
”Mixing Motionless In White & Breathe Carolina in this Darkwave dance anthem”
by Jesse Smith
Growing up in the “warped tour scene” I was personally blind and ignorant to the genres that seemed to either directly influence what I liked or that almost sat right outside of the bubble of those genres. I knew the genres that were direct influences for Metalcore and Pop punk but when I started to discover other subgenres of alternative and dark music, I truly started connecting the dots and I started to appreciate alternative music styles so much more. One genre that really caught my attention was Darkwave/Synth Pop. Huge in the Goth scene, it’s a synth based, more club style of music but the overall atmosphere is more sorrowful like Goth Rock. Which is where Haunter fits ever so nicely with their first single “Dance Gothica”.
Dance Gothica is a newer Darkwave track filled with melancholy emotions yet somehow makes you want get lost in it’s trance and just dance. Forming as a solo project In secrecy, artist Thomas Grim created the “graveyard pop” act Haunter. To be honest, graveyard pop is exactly the vibe this gives off but in an amazing way. The song is like any other electronic music where there is a heavy but simple kick and snare backbeat accompanied by a distinct synth that sets the melody. Haunter also sings in a very powerful atmospheric voice that is very popular in Gothic genres. About 3 minutes into the song, he switches his voice only for a bridge, but it shows his range as a singer while still keeping overall feel. The chorus is brilliantly simple and is very easy to sing along and dance to which is the overall goal of synthwave.
The easiest way to put this is: If early Motionless In White and early Breathe Carolina made a musical group. A lot of Chris’ old lower singing style is the closest I can get to how this sounds. I personally love darkwave and I think this track is flawless. This is the song I want to hear at goth night and dance too. For this being his first single under Haunter, I’m interested in seeing where he takes this project and what it could become. The song is infectiously catchy with the perfect rhythm. If you are looking to explore more of the electronic music side of the alternative music spectrum, Haunter and Dance Gothica is the perfect start down the rabbit hole.