Dark wave
Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s.[5][6] Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, romantic and bleak, with an undertone of sorrow.[5][7] The genre embraces a range of styles including cold wave,[8] ethereal wave,[9] gothic rock,[8][10][6] neoclassical dark wave[11] and neofolk.[10]
For the 1956 documentary film, see The Dark Wave.Revival (2010s-2020s)[edit]
In the 2010s, a new generation of bands rekindled the darkwave genre for a new generation of fans. The most prominent of these acts is Boy Harsher, but others include Drab Majesty, Twin Tribes and Pixel Grip.[42][43][44] Substance is an annual Darkwave and Industrial music festival occurring in Los Angeles which began in the 2010s.[45] Meanwhile, Verboden is an annual Darkwave festival in Vancouver, British Columbia.[46] The Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany, established in 1992, is considered one of the world's largest festivals for "dark" music and culture, taking place at Pentecost annually throughout the city. It attracts around 20,000 visitors from all over the world.
In 2024, English-Cypriot independent musician Artemas released the darkwave song "I Like the Way You Kiss Me", which quickly became a massive hit worldwide thanks to immediate TikTok virality (helped by previous viral songs of his, such as "If You Think I'm Pretty"). It peaked in the top-10 of over 20 countries, including on the UK singles chart, where it has peaked at #5 as of the week of 11 April-17 April 2024.[47] It also charted high on the American Billboard Hot 100, where it has peaked at #23 as of the week of April 13.[48]
