SINGLE REVIEW: Somewhere Stranger – Tragic Black Magic
‘Tragic Black Magic’ finds Somewhere Stranger summoning something gloriously dark — a track that slinks out of the shadows with all the confidence of a creature who knows it’s about to own the night. Catchy hooks meet midnight mystery, colliding pop-rock immediacy with the brooding atmosphere of gothic alt-rock. It’s the sort of song that feels equally at home under strobe lights or candlelight, thrumming with that unmistakable October energy.
The groove is distinctive, commanding from the first beat. There’s a swagger to it, a pulsing backbone that keeps the chaos in check while the riffs rise and twist into something almost theatrical. Chiming tones and swirling textures add a psychedelic shimmer, while subtle circus-esque touches lend a creepy, carnival undertone that perfectly suits its sinister soul.
Vocally, it’s a performance laced with conviction. Every line carries that dark romantic energy — not parody, but passion, like the frontperson’s fully bought into their own spell. You can hear it in the phrasing: that balance between melodrama and sincerity that so many gothic-leaning acts chase but few actually nail.
And then there’s the guitar solo — the kind that deserves its own pentagram of candles. Epic without overstaying its welcome, it bursts through with fiery clarity, tying all the track’s strands together: the danger, the desire, the defiance.
Somewhere Stranger aren’t just dabbling in dark aesthetics here — they’re wielding them. ‘Tragic Black Magic’ captures the spirit of Halloween not as a novelty, but as a mood, a season, a pulse. It’s sinister yet seductive, heavy yet hook-laden, and full of the kind of punchy grandeur that makes you hit repeat before the echoes even fade.
