10 Dark Americana Tracks Brimming With Quiet Anguish

If you asked me to describe one of the 2020's most popular musical aesthetics, I'd immediately jump to the genre that conjures images of haunted churches, grimy trailer parks and tattered American flags wavering in the wind. This genre has a lot of labels, including slowcore, indie pop and Southern gothic, but I've always thought of it as "dark Americana."

Ethel Cain and Nicole Dollanganger are two of the most popular artists occupying this space that's not quite rock, country or indie pop. However, since they've already found a large audience, I wanted to spotlight artists who are still bubbling under. Unsurprisingly, Spotify is full of musicians who embrace this aesthetic, pairing angelic vocals with dark lyrics and haunting, melodic arrangements.

Now that you've gotten a little backstory, here's your dose of Midwestern girlhood, religious imagery and deeply personal stories distilled into four-minute tracks. These artists are just waiting for the "coquette" and "fawncore" communities to discover them. Listening to these songs is free, and if you decide to support them by following them on social media or buying records on Bandcamp, you might be the catalyst for more music.

1. Queen Of LA by Glüme

Viola Odette Harlow, also known as Glüme, started her career as a child star who appeared in various projects and even auditioned for Hannah Montana. However, behind the scenes, her mother was feeding her a cocktail of medications that would have lifelong consequences for her health. If you want to hear about it firsthand, "Queen Of LA" is an ethereal track that highlights the pain and loss of her Hollywood upbringing.

2. Molly's Motel by Lizzie And The Cannibals

Filmed on a real VHS camera, the music video for "Molly's Motel" features Miss Fortune in scenes from an American adolescence: sitting in her pink bedroom, eating ice cream at a graveyard, visiting a cornfield in her prom dress. With angelic vocals and luminous arrangements, this track feels like the story of a doomed Midwestern prom queen--one who never made it out of her hometown.

3. 6 feet under by Cozy St. Jean

"6 feet under" comes from Cozy St. Jean's 2020 release, serenades for the false-hearted, which she describes as "a collection of songs about people who have left me heartbroken (including myself)." Her soft, lilting vocals make you feel like you're watching an angel ascend to heaven, but the lyrics quietly promise revenge on the lover who left her behind. "I won't let you forget it," she states before admitting, "[I] know you mourn."

4. Punisher by Dollie Rot

Dollie Rot's husky voice, black outfits and moody arrangements add a gothic touch to the genre. Throughout "Punisher," she mourns her loss of touch with reality and expresses her desire for revenge. However, in real life, Dollie Rot is more optimistic about suffering, stating in an interview: "There is a holiness in suffering, there is a universal truth in suffering. We all have our own meanings of suffering, but we all experience it."

5. Rough to the Touch by ansoella

Despite her Midwestern aesthetic, ansoella actually lives in Sweden, although her Spotify bio acknowledges that she's "available for funerals worldwide." "Rough to the Touch," her first self-produced song, takes you on a musical journey that ends with eerie, rhythmic humming like a voice from the forest depths. On Twitter, she talks about likely influences: Mitski, Fiona Apple, Phoebe Bridgers and other artists who might have shaped ansoella into the haunting figure we know today.

6. Bridge by Eve's Curse

Eve's Curse takes inspiration from Shakespeare, Bible verses, Southern aesthetics and Victorian-era fashion, creating a warm, playful sound that drops you into the middle of a Tennessee summer. Still, despite the sunny tune, "Bridge" makes a broader point about society. As the chorus repeats, "Living to a world that you made / You left us to tie all the strings that you laid," you can't help but draw connections to your own life.

7. Feelings Bleed by Babyfangs

With Babyfangs' seductive, charismatic vocals, it's easy to forget that "Feelings Bleed" is about the singer's escape from a controversial treatment center in Utah. Toward the end, her voice increases in pitch as if she's desperately seeking salvation. However, Babyfangs' work isn't just a plea for help; it's also a tribute to her love for wildlife and childhood summers spent at her grandmother's house.

8. 222 by Vyva Melinkolya

"222" features backing vocals from dark Americana superstar Ethel Cain, who Vyva Melinkolya credits as the force behind "one of the most beautiful friendships I’ve ever had." The song itself has a lonely, echoing tune that reverberates inside your skull as the lyrics describe the narrator's pain and anguish. As a transgender woman from Kentucky, Melinkolya clearly has a story to tell--and the rest of us are lucky to bear witness.

9. Darling by Aestrea

Soft, dainty and delicate, "Darling" sounds like a tune from a girl's music box. "I love you, I love you, darling," the narrator repeats in a glittering tone, a tribute to Aestrea's aesthetic that blends wedding dresses, carousels and abandoned houses like a surreal childhood dream. This track sounds like purity distilled to a drop, but as you listen, it's clear that something darker lurks below the surface.

10. Knife Fight by Trophy Wife

McKenzie Iazzetta is the frontwoman of Trophy Wife, an indie band that dropped "Knife Fight" in 2022. Despite the group's Brooklyn roots, their Instagram profile is loaded with Southern gothic aesthetics: fuzzy VHS clips, photoshoots in the grass, dinners at Waffle House. "Knife Fight" is bouncy and eager, dishing the secrets of a tumultuous relationship that was likely doomed from the start.

Are you familiar with any of these artists? Which tracks are your favorites? Let me know in the comments.