October is a time when summer and the last days of warmth and sunshine finally fade away. Nights grow longer and, Halloween aside, the tenth month represents the end of late harvests and getting ready for winter. To celebrate the Day of the Dead and the picturesque autumn landscape, we put together a dark, moody playlist of French-speaking artists. Featuring dark wave, cold wave, electro, and synth-pop, these tracks are perfect for creating a haunting, ethereal mood. Expect a bittersweet potion with a touch of unsettling fierceness.
1. Carpenter Brut – “Eyes without a face”
Starting with a cover of a Billy Idol classic that takes us back to the 80s. Although the song is in English, producer and performer Franck Hueso, AKA Carpenter Brut, is French. Renowned in the electro and metal worlds, he produced this track for the American Psycho comic book series. There’s also a goth rock version featuring Gvllow and Mothica. Enjoy it alone or with friends!
2. Peter Peter – “Nosferatu”
With his mellow synths, Peter Peter immediately sets the scene by confessing his insatiable thirst for love. His indie-dance rhythm, combined with a catchy bass riff, is perfect for our melancholy moments or for anticipating a fabulous evening when the veil is thin. Lonely souls be warned! After putting out this track from his album Noir Eden, the Phantom of the Night recently released his fifth album, Éther. Catch him November 23 at Club Soda.
3. SEULEMENT – “Envers”
Enter a hazy, almost menacing electronic universe with SEULEMENT. In his experimental audiovisual solo project, Mathieu Arsenault plays with fluctuating, spiraling textures and tensions. “Envers” gets us to lose our senses and let a mysterious choir carry us off into the darkness this spooky season.
4. Yseult – “Mental”
Lately, you couldn’t scroll on TikTok without coming across Yseult’s latest hit, “Alibi”, featuring Sevdaliza and Pabllo Vittar. Yseult, who has since become the most-streamed French-speaking female artist on Spotify, released her album Mental last September. With a more pop-rock and techno sound, it’s a radical change – we feel her need to put it all out on the table. Her song “Mental” is unnerving and marked by delirious rage.
5. Marie Davidson – “La chambre intérieure”
With drum machines in the background, Montrealer Marie Davidson’s minimal wave stands out from the crowd. “La chambre intérieure” sets an unsettling vibe from the moment it starts. The singer’s tormented narration creates a brooding ambience perfect for spooky evenings with friends.
6. Zéa Calla – “Bélier”
The lo-fi electro solo project of one of the members of hard-hitting band La Fièvre is unmistakably irreverent. Rimouskoise artist Zéa Calla delivers this dark track with a fierce assertiveness, unbothered by anyone who stands in her way. Feel the fire take over, without ever being sure if the flames are warming you on a chilly October evening… or if you’re just being burned.
7. Automelodi – “Dust”
Dust falls on days past with the reverbed out voice of Xavier Paradis. Let go of summer by exploring this cold wave and synth-pop project. It’s a must for those who love futuristic moods mixed with the authentic sound of the 80s. Automelodi’s Mirages au futur verre-brisé album has everything you need for wild, nostalgic evenings: hypnotic rhythms and bewitching, esoteric vocals.
8. Minuit Machine – “Chaos”
It’s hard to pick a song here: the Infrarouge album really shines with its mysterious ambience. The French darkwave duo is powerful, delivering ethereal, emotional vocals and solid coldwave and techno production. A true trancelike experience for those with a penchant for dark nights out and occult vibes.
Don’t miss our other spooky season articles: The Ultimate Halloween 2024 Playlist and How To Go Viral: TikTok Halloween edition.
Written by Caroline Boivin
Illustration by Holly Li
