FEATURE: Goth is the New Black: 10 Albums from 2026 Carrying the Genre Forward


Here we are at another Halloween, the time when the rest of the music world tries to get on the same page as me when it comes to creepy music for the season, which I just call my normal listening. Goth continues to have its moment in various online communities, in part due to the appropriation of the fashion, which has less to do with its subculture than the music from which it was spawned. In the words of Morrissey from the song “Unlovable.” – 

“I wear black on the outside, because black is how I feel on the inside” 

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Riot Fest 2026 Tool, Twenty One Pilots, Pierce The Veil, Alanis Morrisette, Taking Back Sunday, Morrissey, Pixies, Bad Religion, Rise Against, Pennywise, Angine de Poitrine, GWAR, Chat Pile, and More


Riot Fest has announced the line-up for 2026 event, with headliners such as Tool, Twenty One Pilots, Pierce The Veil, and Alanis Morrisette! The festival also features Taking Back Sunday, Morrissey, Pixies, Bad Religion, Rise Against, Pennywise, Angine de Poitrine, GWAR, Chat Pile, Haywire, Melt Banana, and many more! Taking place on September 18-20 in Douglass Park, the fest always promises an immersive experience, and late-night after-shows throughout Chicago. Check out our coverage of past Riot Fests and interviews at the event here. Three-day general admission tickets for the rain-or-shine, all-ages event are available now for $340 at the links below.

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FEATURE: “The Queen’s Not Dead…Yet” – An Analysis of Morrissey’s “Make Up is a Lie” Album  


Neil Young once declared it was “better to burn out than fade away.” At 80, it was advice he should have heeded, as it’s been 30 years since he released a decent album that wasn’t sandbagged material from the seventies left in the vault. What makes a great artist like your Iron Maidens and David Bowies is consistency. How are you holding up 14 albums into your solo career? This is the question we ask going into the newest Morrissey release, Make Up is a Lie (Sire Records). 

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