For a music town with a relatively small goth scene, Athens is home to some strong examples of the genre. Musician Adria Stembridge’s longtime post-punk/deathrock project Tears for the Dying has persisted through many evolutions, from lineup changes to periods of inactivity, while amassing fans across the nation. The band’s resiliency is a testament to the fact that there will always be a dark underbelly keeping the culture alive and the music in demand.
Many of the strengths of Tears for the Dying are tied to who Stembridge is as a person and how she uses that introspective lens as a songwriter—namely by writing deeply personal songs covering vulnerable topics, and by exploring adjacent genres rather than honing in on one sound. The group’s most recent body of work best exemplifies these features, and Tears for the Dying is gearing up for the release of its 11-track album In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun. Although it’s not a concept album, each song does carry a thoughtfully crafted story or message. Stembridge also notes that the band ventures into dark wave territory with this release.
“It’s in part who I am. I’m autistic and ADHD… so this album is very much a reflection of that kind of autism and ADHD-ness of wanting to branch out and go from one thing to another,” says Stembridge. “Tears [for the Dying] is still dark and edgy, but it has a lot of variety to it. Every song has its own identity; it breathes in its own world.”
Stembridge first began writing lyrics for Tears for the Dying in 1998, with a fully formed band recording for the first time in 2003. Over the years there have been pauses in its development, sometimes due to life obligations such as jobs or side projects like The Girl Pool and Strange Dreams. However, the current state of the band, and the music written for the new album, has been largely influenced by current member Mycke Pain (drums, programming, songwriting) and recent member Josh Broughton (guitar, bass). Stembridge says that Pain and Broughton brought a new level of professionalism and musicianship to the band upon joining in 2021–2022.
Earlier this year, Broughton took a new position at his job in Atlanta and had to resign from Tears for the Dying, but the other members graciously attribute a lot of the work on the album to him. In April, Stembridge’s online friend Robyn Chronister moved down from Michigan to take over on guitar and bass. Interestingly enough, both Pain and Chronister were Tears of the Dying fans before joining, and the opportunity found them each in a different scenario to use it as a vehicle for a life change that would land them in Athens. When discussing how the songs came together, it’s clear that all three current members feel a strong emotional connection to these tracks regardless of their roles in the band.
In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun opens with “We Are the Darkness” and “Dagger in God’s Back,” which Stembridge describes as “cosmic horror.” Pain points to “Dagger in God’s Back” as a particularly fun and challenging song, explaining that it’s in 12/16 timing at a high tempo that feels more like a workout as the drummer. Chronister has a fondness for this unique song that leans toward black metal heaviness while maintaining its post-punk lane. The album then descends into themes around mental health crises. “Ji Shi” discusses suicide, while “Heterochromia” talks about passing over while retaining elements of cosmic horror.
The fifth track, “Bloat,” tells a graphic and heart-wrenching story about a trans girl who was relentlessly bullied in high school and later takes her own life, only to be found by a first responder who had been one of the bullies. The details are not for the faint of heart, but the story is compelling. After such heavy material, things lighten up thematically with “Don’t Wanna.” The lyrics are “don’t wanna be like that” in Japanese, referring to not wanting to focus on suicide and instead focus on the desire to get better. The following song, “Ikinokotta,” translates to “I survived” and has a triumphant tone of making it through to the other side of your own personal hell. The remainder of the album focuses less on storytelling but continues on a macabre path.
Just by looking at the track list, the final song certainly stands out: A cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Southern gothic style, of course. However, that’s not the only surprise here. Stembridge’s uncle is guitarist Chip Young, well known for his thumb-picking style that fuels the intro of “Jolene.” The cover is a family tribute, and one that Stembridge feels honored to reconceptualize in an unexpected style. On this track, Broughton played the tricky main guitar piece, and Stembridge made some lyrical changes to give it a more modern feel.
In the midst of creating In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun, the lineup was not the only curveball change Tears for the Dying faced. Initially producer Tom Ashton started to mix the record, then he happened upon his own opportunity to restart his band The March Violets. He became too busy to continue the Tears for the Dying project, which left Stembridge hesitant to find another engineer given Ashton’s expertise in the post-punk and goth rock genre and Athens’ lack in that area. She approached Jason Nesmith given his connection to Pylon Reenactment Society, and the result of his work blew the band away.
“To some, they would say that the genre is either obsolete or dated, but there’s still so many people that love it. I myself just got back from California, and I can say that it’s huge out there and people knew who we were when I mentioned the name,” says Pain. “We just happen to be in a town where it’s not as prominent, but it’s still there, and all it takes is a good spark to start a fire. And that’s what we’re hoping to do with this record.”
“This album in particular, I think Tears stretches the dimensions of post-punk in a way. There’s a lot of songs where it goes into a lot of different territories. This is still distinctly post-punk, but it’s got a unique edge or heaviness to it. Or it’s saying something interesting, and I think that’s the spark that keeps people coming back,” says Chronister.
Tears for the Dying has big plans to close out the end of spooky season with some local performances. After the Wild Rumpus parade on Saturday Oct. 28, the band will be opening during the inaugural A Southern Gothic festival with Twin Tribes and Vision Video at the 40 Watt Club. The band plans to do a soft release of the album at this event with physical CDs available, and the full release will be celebrated once the vinyl edition is finished printing by the top of next year. Halloween night the band will be playing Live in the Lobby at WUOG 90.5 FM at 8 p.m.
In addition to releasing its first vinyl next year, Tears for the Dying will also join The March Violets for its east coast tour in February. The two bands are both signed to Rocky Road Touring, along with fellow Athens gothic post-punk band Vision Video.
WHO: Twin Tribes, Vision Video, Tears for the Dying
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 28, 9 p.m. (doors)
WHERE: 40 Watt Club
HOW MUCH: $20
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