Venus Grrrls sink their teeth into gothic romance with ‘Carmilla’, a darkly intoxicating single that finds beauty in the dangerous spaces between desire and death. Drawing on the shadowy aesthetics of ’80s goth and industrial music, the band conjure a sound that is brooding yet fiercely alive, pairing driving rhythms and gritty instrumentation with an atmosphere steeped in nocturnal menace.
Inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1872 novella of the same name, ‘Carmilla’ channels the seductive pull of forbidden love, where passion and peril become almost indistinguishable. There’s a palpable tension running throughout the track, balancing gothic theatricality with a raw, confrontational energy. Rather than simply leaning into horror’s familiar tropes, Venus Grrrls find something altogether more compelling in the vulnerability beneath the darkness.
Vocalist GK explains that the song emerged immediately after reading Le Fanu’s novel, with the forthcoming EP, To Die as Lovers May, exploring the delicate territory between love and mortality. That duality feels central to the single’s appeal: alluring but unsettling, romantic yet razor-sharp.
With ‘Carmilla’, Venus Grrrls deliver a bewitching slice of modern goth that feels rooted in the past without becoming trapped by it. It’s a thrilling invitation into their dark, beautifully twisted world.
‘Carmilla’ scores a well deserved 9 out of 10 as goth is on the rise again
Reviewer – Ian Mc Donnell @mcgigmusic
Photo credit – Misha Warren