TOP2024: DEBUT of the year

10. Red Carpet Sins “#” (synthpop | Hungary, Self-Released)

The young formation Red Carpet Sins began at the dawn of the 20s with the release of their debut composition on the compilation "Hungarian Synthpop Allstars. Volume 2", after which their second single was released in 2023. In 2024 the project released two more singles on its own and after that the debut full-length album "#" was out. The authors of the compositions and performers are listed in the release details on the Bandcamp page, but without specific information about them. According to the names there may be members of Hungarian metal bands among the participants, but there is no confirmation of this. The album features 10 compositions in the genre of melodic mid-tempo synthpop with male vocals and lyrics in Hungarian. A very cool debut with pleasant melodies and high-quality sound. Good solid work. At the end of the album there are remixes from Calm T and other musicians.

09. Caelum Wraith “13” (synth-goth, synthpop | USA, Self-Released)

The American project Caelum Wraith was formed in the mid-20s and the first recordings of the musicians began to appear in 2024 on their Bandcamp and Soundcloud pages. In April 2024 the debut full-length album entitled "13" was released. The music on the album is made in the synth-goth genre with elements of darkwave and synthpop with male vocals. In some places the material reminds the sound of Diary of Dreams, somewhere the compositions sound like the work of Wolfsheim in a more synthetic key, but still with a touch of gothic music. Melancholic songs are diluted with rhythmic ones with a faster rhythm, to which you can move on the dancefloor. A good solid album of a young American project, which is worth paying attention to for fans of electronic gothic music.

08. HECHT “Kraftstorm” (anhalt EBM | Sweden, Self-Released)

The era of the anhalt EBM has ended in the end of 10s and the projects that were considered leading either went into a different sound or broke up, so new musicians in this genre on today's post-industrial music scene appear not so offent and their value is very high. The Swedish formation Hecht appeared in the early 20s. The first recordings were released by their own in 2022 and were followed by the debut full-length album "Kraftstorm" also released by the project itself. 8 tracks of classic anhalt EBM with periodic oldschool sound mainly in Swedish sounds like a breath of fresh air on the EBM scene. Excellent material with a cool sound, not as dry as the bulk of projects played during the period of the style's blossoming. A good album and a great debut for the Swedes.

07. 1186 “Histeria” (deathrock | Colombia, Self-Released)

The South American gothic scene has long been saturated with interesting projects with their recognizable sound and unique interpretation of the material. 2024 was no exception and gave fans of guitar gothic music several interesting releases. One of them was the debut work of the Colombian project 1186. The project was formed in 2019 by members of the punk bands Ataque Zerø and Trampa and Fatal. The album "Histeria" features 8 compositions in the style of rhythmic deathrock influenced, as the musicians themselves indicated, by Finnish and British punk and postpunk bands. Male vocals in Spanish and the punky sound of deathrock once again confirm the quality of the South American scene, so if anyone missed this rather solid layer of the subculture, I recommend to check it out. The debut album of the 1186 project rightfully entered the top of 2024. In early 2025 the Drunken Sailor Records label released a vinyl edition of this work, so the vinyl lovers can purchase is in this format as well.

06. Yakima Jera “Azrael Take My Hand” (coldwave, postpunk, minimal synth | Germany, Young and Cold Records)

After a powerful debut EP in 2023, the German duo Yakima Jera releases their debut full-length album "Azrael Take My Hand". The project was formed in 2022 and releases records on the German format label Young and Cold Records. The first full-length album turned out to be not as unique as the debut EP, but still worthy of the attention of fans of the dark scene and a place in the top of electronic gothic music for 2024. This is the same minimalistic coldwave with female vocals and a cold dark atmosphere. At the moment YAKIMA JERA can safely be considered as one of the best coldwave bands on the scene.

05. Feyleux “Midnight Hearts” (electropop, dreampop, synth-goth | USA, Swiss Dark Nights)

The American project Feyleux was formed in 2023 in North Carolina. In early 2024 their first EP was released with two compositions, that were later included in the debut full-length "Midnight Hearts". On the album the American duo presents rhythmic atmospheric melodies, where the sound of electropop influenced by synthwave is touched with the genre of dreampop and elements of coldwave and synth-goth with airy female vocals and rare intersperses of male back. A good debut work with an interesting fresh look at the synthetic scene with a gothic flavor.

04. Godesvang “Grôni Godes Wang” (dark folk | Germany, House of Inkantation)

The German project Godesvang was formed in 2016 and worked for several years without releasing any material. In 2024 the Germans came out of the shadows with their debut release "Grôni Godes Wang" in the genre of classic dark folk. A wonderful conceptual work with acoustic opuses and lyrics in German sounds very powerful and harmonious. Slight industrial percussion adds volume to the sound. An excellent debut of a cool project for lovers of dark folk and not only.

03. Gossip Collar “Spinning Silk for Parasites” (deathrock | USA, Self-Released)

The American project Gossip Collar was formed in the early 20s in Boston. Two of the quartet members had previously played in a 90s punk band called The Showcase Showdown. In 2023 the project released online its debut self-titled EP and in 2024 its debut full-length album "Spinning Silk for Parasites" followed released by the Polish format label Bat-Cave Productions. The album features deathrock music with postpunk elements, dirty sound and female vocals. High-quality deathrock is made without punky sound despite the punk past of the participants. Very good material. A new name on the guitar gothic music scene, which is worth keeping an eye on in the future.

02. Musidora Roux “La Nuit Qui Nous Dévore” (electropop | France, Self-Relased)

In 2024 the French project Musidora Roux released its debut work "La Nuit Qui Nous Dévore". The album features 9 compositions in French in the genre of romantic electropop with a dark component and female vocals. Rhythmic compositions are diluted with chamber ballads. It would be logical to say about the influence of chanson and some of it is true, but this is rather due to the French language and not the musical component. Some compositions refer to the work of Mylène Farmer as expected, but in very few sounds and not copy the music of a famous singer. In general, the work of Musidora Roux is quite holistic, recognizable music with a unique French charm. There is no much information about the project on the Internet and who is hiding under this pseudonym is unknown, so all you can do is listen and enjoy. In the beginning wanted to advise all electropop fans to follow this project, but at the end of 2024 the second album "Les Roses Volées" was released, on which Musidora Roux's music went into a more mainstream area of pop culture, which, frankly speaking, was also clear in the debut work, so I assume that the debut album will be the only one that hit the top of the synth scene, and the rest will already be in articles about None Dark Scene Releases. But I do not rule out that the Frenchwoman can surprise. Anyway, the debut sounds very cool and synthetic. This album and the artist actually turned to be AI-generated before it turned to be massive sickness, but was left in this list to remind, that AI-generated music could be good also. Few, but could be.

01. Varg I Veum “Varg I Veum” (Coldwave, synth-goth, darkwave | Italy, Swiss Dark Nights)

The Italian duo Varg I Veum was created by former Hapax member Michele, who was joined by Alessandra. The debut self-titled album was released in 2024 on the famous Swiss Dark Nights label. The album features 8 compositions in a combination of synth-goth and darkwave. The compositions are periodically flavoured with a slight touch of coldwave. Deep male vocals combined with beautiful high female vocals in viscous compositions turned into more rhythmic ones make this album unique in sound with a recognizable style. Firstly, I wanted to write that the music on the album can be roughly characterized as Diary of Dreams and L'Âme Immortelle meets Abu Nein, but this would be far-fetched, because the album is much more diverse than comparisons with other projects. The description may seem dry and formal, but in reality, the album evokes real feelings and is one of the best in 2024 not only for the gothic electronic music, but also in the dark scene in general.

Other honorable mentions: 1912, 370153, Amps Kill, Bael Blackwood, Bérèche You, Celotrox, Ciencia Exacta, Complex Machine, D34d3mpty, De La Morte, Die Sexual, Disynthegrator, Elektrokohle, Fantasma Negra, Hadding Land, Jonna Jinton, Keltania, Keyboards and Red Lipstick, Krieg-B, Lured, Nyxora, Occults, Phantom Sequence, The Witch's Forge, Ulrika-Igraine, Xal, Yama Uba, Your Enemy