January 8th, 2025
If you ask any goth what it means to be goth, they’ll tell you that the only thing you need to do to be considered a goth is to listen to the music. You don’t need to dress in all black 24/7, nor do you need to have depression and/or cut yourself. Gothic rock originated from post punk in the 1970s, spawning many subgenres, consisting of darkwave, deathrock, etherealwave, etc. The lines between what is considered goth music are blurry, but not nonexistent
I infodump all of this to you because goth music and its subculture is my current hyperfixation. If you’ve seen the way goth’s are depicted in media, they’re usually moody, interested in the macabre, and dress alternatively. Music is hardly ever mentioned which has led to the misconception that a goth is someone who dresses in all black and likes morbid things.
Now, to be fair, a lot of goth music draws from darker and more morbid sujcet matter, and the sounds tend to be gloomy and melancholic, so logically, it makes sense that if you enjoy morbid things, you may be drawn to goth music. A perfectly reasonable assumption.
I’ve always been a morbid person ever since I was a kid, really. But of course, since goth is a music-based subculture and I’ve never really tried sitting down to listen to it, I could be macabre, but I knew I couldn’t really be goth.
But some weeks ago, I was compelled to try. I rewatched Kat Blaque’s YouTube shorts on the subject (which are recommended watching and a good introduction to the subculture) At that point, I had listened to some gothic rock (which had been an acquired taste for me) In one of her shorts she linked to a playlist of goth club songs she liked. I gave it a listen and the first song threw me for a loop.
“That’s goth!?” I asked myself, bewildered, “But it’s so different from all the stuff I’ve been listening to so far!”
Whether it counts as goth or not, I’ve now gotten more accustomed to the different sounds of various subgenres of goth music. While gothic rock was an acquired taste for me, I quickly took to darkwave and etherealwave.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a baby bat, so I can’t and don’t claim to know everything (so if I got something wrong, whoopsie) I know that there are people who, whenever you tell them that goth is a music-based subculture, dig their heels in and whine that the stereotypes they think goth is don’t actually make them goth. There’s lots of accusations of “gatekeeping” thrown around. The reality is that it’s not so much “gatekeeping” as it is telling you where the gate actually is as opposed to where you think it is. You’re free to walk through at any time, if only you’ll follow the correct path being clearly and explicitly laid out for you.
It’s okay to wear dark alternative fashion if you’re not goth, but at the end of the day, the music is foundational to the subculture. Would you call yourself a K-pop stan if you didn’t like K-pop?
For those interested in getting into goth music, I’m going to link some playlists that have music I like, including some introductory stuff (some of it might lean more darkwave, though. Looking into other subgenres is encouraged) And if at the end, you find that you just don’t jive with goth music at all, that’s fine. It’s okay to not be goth. Like whatever you like at the end of the day. It’s just important to try and not misrepresent a subculture that’s most likely been around longer than you’ve been alive
A Goth Music playlist for baby bats DARKWAVE MIX! GOTH & DARK WAVE MIX IV A Goth Music playlist for baby bats Vol. 2Okay but as for side notes, my favorite band currently is the Cocteau Twins. I just love their sound and I can't recomend them enough. Sea, Swallow Me is probably my favorite song of theirs. I also don't have an active goth club near me so :/