Pøltergeist Nachtmusik CD Review

'Nachtmusik' or night music, is the debut album from Canada's post punk/darkwave band, Pøltergeist. What immediately comes to mind is how familiar it sounds, with thoughts of The Cure, Unto Others and even fellow countrymen Cauldron and how flawlessly all these influences come together. I purchased this album solely on seeing the music video for "Children of the Dark" and it's one of the best decisions I've made this year concerning new album releases. Quite frankly, I've been listening to it non-stop since its release.

The album starts off with the atmospheric piano instrumental "Einfürung" and then kicks into one of my favorite tracks, "Burning Sword", which I find to be the quintessential effort in showcasing all of the aforementioned influences. Next is "Ethereal Nightmare" which has an infectious bass line that compliments the angsty vocals. "Cold in September" has The Cure written all over it and I find myself contemplating if Pøltergeist are the undisputed successors of theirs in the goth rock genre. And the song that started it all for me, "Children of the Dark" hits all of the right boxes for me. I feel this could have been a song found on Unto Others' 'Mana' and is one of my favorite songs of the year.

And just as strong as it started, it ends. "Swallowed by the Ocean" and "Walking Alone" are deeper and more melancholic and leave me wanting more. There's no way around it that this is one of my favorite releases of 2024 and will absolutely be for you too if you're any bit into gothic rock or darkwave.

~TJ