"Stiff as a board, light as a feather / You held me up forever / I should really let go / A chunk of my heart and soul..."
The darkly drawn cool and artful discomfort of "Thread" by Portland post-punk trio Darkswoon, and from their upcoming fourth album "Antivenom" (dropping April 3rd, 2026), soars in a way that feels at once nostalgic but as fresh and inspirational as a 'lightbulb' moment. I love the propulsive heart here, the synth glimmers like nervous kisses, Rachel Ellis’ tribal post punk beats, the drones like flashing memories, Norah Lynn’s driving bass lines, punk noir massive guitar lines and Jana Cushman's vocal countenance, wistful / fragile simmering in existential dread. This is the thing, even imagining this track played within the confines of an intimate venue with the volume turned up to 11, "Thread" with it's big dramatic pushes has a softness to it that I love. Overall, I guess, this softness, this embrace of emotional cores and emotions bubbling to the surface is what post punk is all about really.
And about those hard cutting edges and open book reveals, the lyrics will likely be interpreted by many and felt by all:
You held me up forever
I should really let go
A chunk of my heart and soul
I miss who we were together
A million years ago
A shelter from bad weather
Of our stormy home
Smoking rose petals
Casting silhouettes
Ritual cigarettes and love spells
At a seance
No one knows more than me
The reason you seek
To find a safe place in chaos
Our bond is a haunted room
Sometimes I don’t feel safe inside
Getting high off fumes of burning silence
I know you’re hurting when you try to hide
Our common thread is the divide
The trauma bond
The buried dread
The silent knowing if we never speak again
The knotted rope, blood in my throat
Shown my fears but not my suicide notes
Crafting post punk in these current times can sometimes feel like a bit of nostalgia fetishism but not here. Darkswoon's art feels to me as if painting with 90's post punk colors but creating pure creations incorporating shades of many genres and even shades of those shades recontextualized. I thought of many artists while listening to "Thread", artists like Radiohead, Savages, Iceage and DIIV come to my mind readily.
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[Antivenom is the fourth album from Portland melancholic dark alternative trio Darkswoon, further refining the band’s emotionally charged intersection of darkwave, post-punk, and shoegaze. Built atop a hardware-driven electronic foundation, the record balances cold mechanical textures with an intimate human core, cradling Jana Cushman’s ethereally soaring vocals. Lyrically, Cushman confronts loss, anxiety, fear, and inequality with unflinching honesty, wielding words as both confession and scalpel.]
[Norah Lynn’s melodic yet gritty basslines snake through Rachel Ellis’ propulsive, kinetic rhythms, while Cushman’s guitar work provides a dense sonic web that at times pushes Darkswoon into more expansive shoegaze territory. The songs on Antivenom function as an immersive, atmospheric whole, yet retain a sense of urgency through cautionary missives, unresolved emotions, and the weight of things left unsaid. With each release, Darkswoon has continued to evolve, and on Antivenom, the trio sounds fully assured, channeling introspection into focused, resonant songwriting that highlights their distinct voice.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvkvIYuLmAr0mzo44ajd5Zg
https://www.instagram.com/darkswoon/
https://www.facebook.com/darkswoon.pdx
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvkvIYuLmAr0mzo44ajd5Zg
https://www.instagram.com/darkswoon/
https://www.facebook.com/darkswoon.pdx
http://darkswoon.com/
Portland’s Darkswoon is a melancholic dark alternative trio whose expansive sound bridges darkwave, post-punk, dream pop, and shoegaze with a distinctive, modern edge. Formed in 2014 as the solo project of Jana Cushman, the band evolved into a powerful three-piece with the addition of Rachel Ellis on synths, keys, and beats, and Norah Lynn on bass, forging a deep, atmospheric sound built on layered electronics and visceral emotional depth.
Across three full-length albums, Year One, Bind, and the critically embraced Bloom//Decay, Darkswoon has steadily expanded both their sonic palette and their audience. Their music combines ethereal vocals, haunting synth lines, melodic yet gritty bass, and propulsive rhythms to evoke a feeling that is at once atmospheric and urgent, balancing introspection with danceable drive.
Press and listeners alike have praised the band’s lush textures and emotional resonance, comparing their layered sound to the mechanized precision of austere electronic acts and the emotional sweep of classic post-punk and dreampop innovators. Fans often note the band’s ability to create atmospheres that are both immersive and deeply affecting, whether in quiet listening or live through smoke-filled venues.
Live, Darkswoon creates enveloping performances that have made them fixtures in the Pacific Northwest dark music scene, bringing their signature blend of shadowy electronics and hypnotic guitar to both underground clubs and renowned stages. The trio continues to evolve with the upcoming release of Antivenom, an album that finds them more confident and resonant than ever, forging a singular voice within dark alternative music.
Portland’s Darkswoon is a melancholic dark alternative trio whose expansive sound bridges darkwave, post-punk, dream pop, and shoegaze with a distinctive, modern edge. Formed in 2014 as the solo project of Jana Cushman, the band evolved into a powerful three-piece with the addition of Rachel Ellis on synths, keys, and beats, and Norah Lynn on bass, forging a deep, atmospheric sound built on layered electronics and visceral emotional depth.
Across three full-length albums, Year One, Bind, and the critically embraced Bloom//Decay, Darkswoon has steadily expanded both their sonic palette and their audience. Their music combines ethereal vocals, haunting synth lines, melodic yet gritty bass, and propulsive rhythms to evoke a feeling that is at once atmospheric and urgent, balancing introspection with danceable drive.
Press and listeners alike have praised the band’s lush textures and emotional resonance, comparing their layered sound to the mechanized precision of austere electronic acts and the emotional sweep of classic post-punk and dreampop innovators. Fans often note the band’s ability to create atmospheres that are both immersive and deeply affecting, whether in quiet listening or live through smoke-filled venues.
Live, Darkswoon creates enveloping performances that have made them fixtures in the Pacific Northwest dark music scene, bringing their signature blend of shadowy electronics and hypnotic guitar to both underground clubs and renowned stages. The trio continues to evolve with the upcoming release of Antivenom, an album that finds them more confident and resonant than ever, forging a singular voice within dark alternative music.
Darkswoon, Portland Oregon, alt rock, post punk, shoegaze, blendo rock, 90's inspired, darkwave, gothic, single "Thread", singer songwriter / guitarist Jana Cushman, Rachel Ellis drummer / Norah Lynn bassist,
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