Black Dahlia Unveils The Imposter: A Surreal Theatrical Odyssey Between Worlds
Black Dahlia is an experimental musician and performance artist whose work blurs the boundaries between theatre, sound, and surreal spectacle. Her creations exist in dreamlike spaces where masks, characters, and worlds collide—flamboyant, avant-garde expressions that draw as much from performance art, mime, and surrealism as they do from music itself. Whether inhabiting strange personas on stage or building vast sonic landscapes, Black Dahlia conjures universes that feel both alien and intimately human, inviting her audience to step into the unknown.
Her new album The Imposter (out today via her own imprint School of Dahlia) is a theatrical concept record that unfolds like a surreal stage play. Written, produced, arranged and performed by Black Dahlia, it follows a lone wanderer, The Imposter, who chases an enigmatic light away from a distant Paradise, only to find himself lost between realms, drifting through an interstellar limbo of time and strange encounters. The Imposter introduces this cosmic odyssey—an otherworldly tale of displacement and identity as the wanderer grapples with his fall from Paradise and the haunting uncertainty of existing between worlds.
Upon landing on Earth, the story continues with “Amphibian Man,” where The Imposter washes ashore in Germany and confronts the bizarre, dazzling reality of humankind. As he adopts new masks and identities in an attempt to belong, his confusion and frustration reach a breaking point, culminating in an explosive metamorphosis that symbolizes both rebellion and rebirth.
Musically, The Imposter embraces a brave fusion of science fiction, surrealism, Bauhaus, prog, mime, and German Expressionism—art forms colliding in a universe that exists entirely on its own terms. This is not an album that explains itself; it is a dream committed to vinyl, a work of heart and vision that asks to be entered and experienced in full. The outer and inner artwork mirror this duality: one world folding into another.
Black Dahlia has previously been recognised for her fearless artistry. Her 2024 single “Bodyguard” earned ABC Rage’s ‘Wild One’ award and screened at SXSW Sydney Screen Festival. She has also collaborated with artists including Rebel Yell (on the “wonderfully explosive” TNT, praised by The Guardian Australia) and contributed original compositions to film projects such as Let The Blind Lead Those Who Cannot See (MUBI).
Now, with The Imposter, Black Dahlia expands her vision into something vast, theatrical, and unflinchingly brave. This world will be brought to life through performance: in Australia this December 2025, followed by a European and UK tour in early 2026.
https://blackdahlia.bandcamp.com/album/the-imposter
