Sick List of 25+ Dark, Depressing Electronic Music Albums and Songs

This list contains a selection of depressing electronic music albums and individual songs categorized by genres.

The bands I’m suggesting are not regular pop artists that you will find on other “best electronic dark music” lists. Some of them are well-known in the underground circles, however. But there are a few you’ve never heard about (I guarantee it).

And when I say “dark” electronica, I don’t mean “slightly sad”. This is the music to enjoy when you feel really bad and need something heavily depressive to match the mood so you feel this resonance of dark emotions resulting in weird pleasure.

You will likely need to return to this list a few times, because it’s pretty long. So better bookmark this page in your browser.

If you are also interested in different shades and genres of dark music, here are my other lists:
List of Creepy, Scary Electronic Music
List of Sad and Depressing Metal Music
List of all dark music-related posts

Now let's get down to business.

1. Darkwave

Band: Агата Кристи (Agatha Christie / Agata Kristi) (Russia)

Album: Чудеса (Chudesa / Miracles) (1998)

I would like to start this list with the sickest and the most depressing album that I know. And it’s “Chudesa” by the Russian band Agata Kristi.

To describe the mood, the shades of such emotions as silent suicidal desperate sorrow, maniacal aggression, and hysteria are presented in different songs in different amounts. The trademark of Gleb Samoilov⁠ (the lead singer on the most part of Agata Kristi’s songs⁠)—his crazy sarcastic, bitter tone⁠—gives good chills here.

Song: Опиум для никого (Opium for Nobody) (Опиум / Opium) (1995)

Here is one more sad song from another album. It is a sad song, but it's also a parody with ironic lyrics: the band makes fun of the decadent fashion of goth youth, although a large, if not the largest, part of their own fan base consists of Russian teenage goth girls.

I also wrote an entire article about five sickest albums by Agatha Christie.

Band: Pink Turns Blue (Germany)

Pink Turns Blue started as a post-punk band in 1987 with their debut album “Pink Turns Blue” which was pretty sad and presented mostly a melancholic shade of sadness, without going extreme.

On their next release “Meta” (1988) they had a significant shift to a more depressive and hysterical sound. It still wasn’t electronic music though.

But the next two albums continued the same mood progression and became more electronica-based: the guitars on them are most often just an addition to the synthesizers and drum machine beat.

After that, they recorded a mediocre acoustic album where they played their old songs, then disbanded, and gathered again in a few years to start playing mediocre pop-rock music.

But their first four albums are amazing. The ones that I can definitely advise as depressing electronic music are:

Album: Aerdt (1991)

Album: Eremite (1990)

If you like guitar-based darkwave/post-punk too, listen also to their first two albums:

If Two Worlds Kiss (1987)
Meta (1988).

Band: Iron Curtain (USA)

This band from Santa Barbara, California is not very well-known, but it has a cult following among a small number of the genre lovers. Iron Curtain started as a minimal / new wave band in the 80s. Iron Curtain released a few albums in small quantities that are now collectors’ items.

I like these two songs because of their melancholic and apathetic mood. Particularly, the lyrics to “Television Saved My Life” are telling a cute story of an extremely lonely teenager who finds the only relief in watching TV.

Song: Television Saved My Life

I also made my own cover song of “Television Saved My Life”, and the singer of Iron Curtain—Steve Fields—liked it:

Song: Condos

Band: Sixth June

There is only one song of this darkwave band I want to share here. But I love it so much.

Song: Drowning (Pleasure, 2013)

Band: The Endparty (USA)

This is a project of a DIY musician—Ross Ingle, and it’s likely that you have never heard about him before.

Unlike the music of the previously mentioned artists, his songs don’t contain the aggression component. The Endparty has a softer sound, closer to pop music. It's probably the futurepop genre or something like this.

If I’m not mistaken, he mentioned on Facebook that he had a social anxiety or depression problem. It’s well-reflected by his following songs that I find very beautiful, especially Ross’ voice.

Album: Beauty Always Leaves (2002)

The Girl

There Is no Time

Album: Departure (2007)

The Shore

Album: Echoes (2015)

Nothing

Song: Brunnen G Mix (cover of Kai’s theme song from Lexx! It's one of my favorite shows, and that's how I actually learmed about The Endparty—by making a small research after listening this song on a fan soundtrack compilation).

Band: JPRS CRPRS (Russia)

This is a project of Roman Dandridge-Brewster—a young man from Russia who I know in person. He has recorded more than five albums inspired by horror films and mystic urban legends. Roman's albums have a very spooky and mysterious vibe, partially because of the very weird DIY production sound: sometimes it’s so unnatural that it gives me this “uncanny valley” feeling. The latest one, however, has a more professional production sound, and it’s still very sweet.

Most of his albums have a more haunted than depressive feel, so I will share them in one of my next posts—a list of creepy electronic music.

But the latest album—Prelude to Tragedy: A Cry in the Night—leans towards melancholy and romanticism, so it fits this list very well.

Album: Prelude to Tragedy: a Cry in the Night (2010)

Band: Gene Willow

Gene Willow is me, and I have a few songs of my own that fit this list too.

Song: Time to Give Up (Cradle My Rock, 2014)

Song: Paper Plane (Cradle My Rock, 2014)

Song: The Sad Ballad About a Little Rabbit's Cruel Fate (feat. Hania Zdunek) (Cradle My Rock, 2014)

2. Witch House and Trap

I love this genre a lot. Although most of the music in it is shoddily-made uninspired, primitive garbage, there are a few bands (often one-man-bands) or even one or two songs by a garbage band that are outstanding.

Band: Glass Teeth (GL▲SS †33†H) (USA)

This is one of my favorite witch house bands. It’s a duo from Boston. They released two mini-albums, disbanded, and after a few years released a few more songs that were no longer witch house (it was a regular club music instead). Maybe they are still active, but they are not the same band they used to be.

But these two releases are excellent: deep, dark, moist, slow and at the same time they feature a number of catchy tunes that won’t leave your head.

Album: 2011 - Black Bvs EP

Album: 2011 - CD R

Other Songs

White Knives (I couldn't find it online, so just send me a message if you want me to share it).

Band: MORGVE (Argentina)

A very good band from Argentina that mixes witch house with other genres of dark electronic music. Both silent despair and agony are present in their songs.

The duo consists of Nadia and Gonza who are a young couple. Nadia is the singer, and her voice has a pretty unusual timbre.

Their song “Sisterhood” is what instantly caught me—slow, haunted, with a totally killing chorus full of pain and anger.

Album: テロ42Ø (2016)

Album: XV (2019)

Other Songs

La Strada (▶︎ A VVITCH HOUSE COOK BOOK TRIPLE BLVK DVRKNESS, 2017)

Band: White Ring (USA)

One of the principal bands in the witch house genre. Their debut album “Black Earth That Made Me” (2010) is considered to be classics of witch house.

After this album, they released a single “Suffocation” 2010, and then stayed inactive for a few years, and then returned with “Gate of Grief” 2018, but the sound on it, as well as the next release, is noisier, more psychotic and aggressive sound, farther from witch house. Some songs remind me Suicide Commando. I still like Black Earth That Made Me better than any of their other full-length albums.

They also have a release “B-Sides” that features tracks of the same era as their debut album, and I enjoy them a lot too.

So in this list I’m including the debut album and the songs of the same era. If you are interested, you can always explore their music on their Bandcamp.

Album: Suffocation EP (2010)

This single features their original song “Suffocation” and a few remixes by witch house and other electronic artists.

Here is the one I enjoy most. It’s the only one on the release that sounds extremely desperate.

Album: Black Earth that Made Me (2010)

Other Songs

Band: Blvck Ceiling (USA)

I don’t know much about this witch house musician except for that he is from the USA and is also one of the main characters in the witch house scene. I haven’t explored his discography seriously, because most of his songs that I’ve heard weren’t something I liked.

But these ones are exactly what you need when you feel the worst possible:

Song: Keep Crying

Song: Young

Song: Scorpion

Other Songs by Other Artists

These songs are also amazing:

Damn Whore - Black Opium

It’s based on the song “It’s a Fine Day” by Jane and Barton recorded in 1983 as a simple acapella (a song with only vocals, without any musical instruments).

The original song:

Fraunhofer Diffraction - Asphyxia

Very satisfying, heavy electronic sound:

SEMICOLOŊ - Astral Mind - feat. BΛNMΛSKIM

Again, more mystical feel:

SEMICOLOŊ - The Unborn (in collaboration with FLESH)

Coals - Rave03 (feat Bobkovski)

It’s only slightly melancholic and not really witch house, but it's very-very nice.

Skeler - Tokyo

3. EBM and Aggrotech

Band: Hocico (Mexico)

Hocico is a duo that consists of cousins: Erk Aicrag and Racso Agroyam (these names are anagrams of their real names—Erik Garcia and Oscar Mayorga). It’s one of the main bands in the whole aggrotech subgenre of EBM, and for a good reason.

Hocico is one of the darkest and heaviest electronic music bands I know. When I only discovered them at about 17 years old, I had to spend a while to get used to how creepy and depressive their music sounded.

They are from Mexico, and their music represents depression from living in a third world country and being sick of it. This is one of the reasons why the mood of their songs resonates so well with my own.

The name Hocico comes from the rude expression in Spanish: “callate el hocico”—”shut your mouth”.

I like their albums from 1997 to 2008. After that, their production sound became unbearably compressed, and the tunes in the newer songs seem to be uninspired and don’t touch me. But all releases up to 2009 are excellent.

Album: Signos de Aberracion (2002)

Song: The Last Warning (About A Dead, CDM, 2007)

Album: Hocico-Hate Never Dies (The Celebration) (2003)

This release is a compilation of their tapes that had been released before the debut album.

Album: Memorias Atras (2008)

And here is my own acoustic death metal cover of this song:

Album: Sangre Hirviente (1999)

Album: Wrack and Ruin (2004)

Album: Odio Bajo El Alma (1997)

Band: Rabia Sorda (Mexico)

Rabia Sorda is a side project of Erk Aicrag in a similar genre, but more melodic, and with live drums. I only like these two songs:

Song: Walking on Nails (Métodos Del Caos 2006)

Song: Heart Eating Crows (Noise Diary 2009)

Band: Suicide Commando (Belgium)

Suicide Commando is another aggrotech project that is well-known in the aggrotech scene. It’s a one-man band started by Johan Van Roy.

Suicide Commando has made a few remixes for Hocico, and Hocico have made a few for him.

Johan’s music is similar to Hocico. But while Hocico’s songs have a more prominent depressive flavor, the ones of Suicide Commando have a more aggressive and sinister sound. His songs’ lyrics, titles and samples in them often contain references to various serial killers.

Most of his music is too abrasive for me, so I’m sharing only the songs and albums I find listenable.

Album: Axis of Evil (2003)

Album: Implements Of Hell (2010)

Album: Bind, Torture, Kill (2006)

Selected Songs From Other Releases

Song: Love Breeds Suicide

Song: Acid Bath

4. Dungeon Synth and Ambient

Band: Arcana (Sweden)

Arcana use elements of medieval music, but if you think about it, if someone really came up with playing such dark music during medieval times, they would be quickly taken care of by the Inquisition.

I love the first four releases of this band. Then their sound became too compressed, modern, and overproduced.

Album: Dark Age of Reason (1996)

Album: Cantar de Procella (1997)

Album: Lizabeth (EP, 1997)

Album: Isabel (EP, 1999)

Band: Amethyst Portal

This is a nice dreamy and creepy “occult industrial” project by Rachel Audrey and Gavin Norman. Both of them are members of Mater Suspiria Vision—one of the main projects in the whole witch house movement. However, Amethyst Portal is almost an unknown project.

Amethyst Portal was active during 2017-2018, and they released only singles via Bandcamp. Their songs cover mystical esoteric topics rather than depression and other personal problems.

However, the sound is otherworldly and creepy enough to have a soothing effect on the mood of someone in deep sorrow. Read about Amethyst Portal in my other blog post where I am discussing each of their songs in more detail.

5. The Residents

This band stands out of all music so much that I just decided not to invent a genre for it here, but just to list it separately. It can be classified as "avant-garde", but this term is too generic and ambiguous anyway.

Album: Gingerbread Man (1994)

Here is an album from The Residents that is completely electronic. It carries the trademark features of the band: creepiness and sarcastic voice tone of Randy Rose, just like on almost all their other albums.

But Gingerbread Man is the most downbeat and depressing album of the band (at least of what I remember and have heard, because they have about 100 releases in their discography).

Listening to it gives me that relaxing feeling of weakness, apathy, and hopelessness. This is my favorite album of the band.

Song: Inner Space (Animal Lover, 2005)

This one is from another album. It has more of a trip hop feel.

Song: Inner Space (Animal Lover, 2005)

And one more super sad song. It's about getting old, miserable, and pathetic.

6. Pop Music

Let’s say, it’s a bonus: slightly melancholic songs by a few pop artists.

Trance / Techno

I don’t know much about this genre (and I actually hated it when being a child and a teenager), but these three songs sound very enjoyable. They are not about depression, but the minor tunes in combination with the ambience of the 90-s style mix give me a nice, weird, and dreamy feeling.

Song: Blümchen - Willkommen in meinem Garten

Song: Kirsty Hawkshaw - Fine Day

Song: Silvia Coleman - All Around The World (Usura Mix)

Band: Gold Zebra (Canada)

Amazing female-fronted retrowave duo who by now have released two great albums, the second of which is an OST. Their first full-length album is very beautiful overall, and there are four very sad songs on it that won't leave my head. When I have free time, I often put them on repeat.

Album: Gold Zebra (2014)

Song: Drift Away

Song: Invisible Disorder

Song: When Words Fail

Song: Apart Again

Band: Perturbator (France)

You have probably heard about this guy—he is a central figure of the retrowave genre that is fancy these days. But here is a selection of his sadder songs to remind you how good they are.

Song: Desire (feat. Greta Link)

Song: Naked Tongues (feat. Memory Ghost’s Isabella Goloversic)

Song: Hard Wired (feat. Memory Ghost’s Isabella Goloversic)

Song: There Is no Love Highway

Song: Meet Jimmy (feat. Le Cassette)

Song: Fantasy (feat. Dream Koala)

Song: 88 MPH

Band: Ladytron (USA)

Another popular band, from the genre of electroclash.

Song: Beauty (2005 - Witching Hour)

Song: Predict the Day (2008 - Velocifero)

Song: Destroy Everything You Touch (2005 - Witching Hour)

Song: Black Cat (2008 - Velocifero)

Band: 65daysofstatic (USA)

They are considered as a post rock band, but they have too electronic sound to be a regular post rock band. I like only one song of theirs:

Song: Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here (One Time for All Time 2005)

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