Asheville based deathrock band Secret Shame just shared a new single channeling early The Cure’s sound. The fast passed guitars on “Dark” are reminiscent of the ones featured in Three Imaginary Boys, while the vocals keep the spirit of Siouxsie. All those elements combined with a raw and powerful songwriting style make Secret Shame stand out.

Some people like to make music — others have to. That’s how Lena, the singer of Asheville deathrock band Secret Shame, explains the band’s 2016 beginnings: “If I couldn’t sing or play music, I would tear my skin off.” That same clenching expression comes through on the band’s emotionally driven debut full-length Dark Synthetics. Lena’s voice cuts through the band’s dark, atmospheric sound carried by lyrics centered around issues of domestic abuse, mental health, and political frustration.

Dark is the first single off Secret Shame’s upcoming album Dark Synthetics that will be released on September 6th via Portrayal of Guilt Records.

“This song is about mental health and watching your own mental health crumble as a result of everyone else’s crumbling around you. It’s about being helpless to your own mind, which is a common theme, if not the most common, within the album. This song was a challenge and a success for everyone involved,” shares Lena.