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Gothic country (sometimes referred to as gothic Americana, Southern Gothic, the Denver sound, or dark country) is a genre of country music rooted in early jazz, gospel, Americana, gothic rock, and post-punk.[1] Its lyrics focus on dark subject matters.[2] The genre has a regional scene in Denver.[1][2]
| Gothic country | |
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| Cultural origins | Late 1990s – early 2000s, Denver, Colorado |
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Gothic country is rooted in early jazz, gospel, country, Americana, gothic rock, and post-punk.[1] The genre's lyrics focus on macabre and grim subject matters.[2] J.D. Wilkes, frontman of the band Legendary Shack Shakers, described gothic country as "[taking] an angle that there's something grotesque and beautiful in the traditions of the South, the backdrop of Southern living."[3]
Slim Cessna's Auto Club, formed in 1992, often deals with lyrical themes derived from apocalyptic religious imagery, applying a gothic lyrical approach to country and gospel songs, although the band has denied that their songs are gothic.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The following year, the gothic country group the Handsome Family formed;[11][12][13][14] Andy Fyfe of Mojo called them "Americana's ghostly Sonny & Cher."[15] A.V. Club reviewer Christopher Bahn compared their music to "a collaboration between Hank Williams and Edgar Allan Poe."[16]
Johnny Cash's American Recordings series, produced by Rick Rubin, a producer best known for working with hip hop and heavy metal artists, was described as having a gothic country sound and image; amidst covers of songs by non-country artists such as Depeche Mode, Danzig and Nine Inch Nails, as well as traditional and World War II-era songs, Cash's album series lyrically derived from haunting, despaired themes such as death, and recurring religious themes in the form of dark gospel recordings.[17]
Pioneered by David Eugene Edwards through his band 16 Horsepower (and later, Wovenhand), a regional gothic country scene developed in Denver.[1][2]
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