Art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted. I will never stop saying that. What purpose does art serve if not to send shivers down your spine and cause the hair on your arms to stand up.
Obviously there’s joyful, light-hearted artists but what about the disturbing?
Well Sofia Isella has been gaining wild success in her music recently with her single “Above The Neck” gaining traction on social media for its unsettling but much needed lyrics. Those are the types of songs I’m talking about. The songs that command my attention and invade my personal space in the best way.
These are some artists who I feel embody that unsettling yet comforting music (including Sofia Isella.)
Now if you know me, you knew I was going to include her. I mean, she is my favorite artist, what do you expect from me? Ethel Cain encapsulates the taboo themes, the disturbing themes and the plain nasty ones.
In her debut southern gothic concept album “Preacher’s Daughter” she tells the dark story of a fictional young girl raised in Shady Grove, Alabama. She strives to be loved her entire life.
She ends up being cannibalized by the end of the story. See? Disturbing. Intriguing. Artistic. Incredible.
This album follows much more than that however, but we can save that for another time.
In “Strangers” the last track on Preacher’s Daughter, Cain sings “Am I making you feel sick.” This lyric gained a lot of attention when people realized it had a double meaning. Physically sick and mentally guilty.
Some beautiful stand-out songs from her catalog include “inbred,” “August Underground,” “Ptolomea” and the whole EP titled “Perverts” which is one of my favorite works ever (stay tuned for a Perverts review.)
Nicole Dollanganger has always been known for her disturbing concepts, themes and her taboo writing styles.
I discovered her around a year and a half ago and became hooked on her unique sounds and album covers.
The album that was really captivating to the general public was Dollanganger’s work on “Natural Born Losers.” Songs like “Poacher’s Pride” and “Mean” are just artistically beautiful.
Dollanganger’s soft voice, matching with the chilling lyrics and a soft instrumental lead to immediate chills.
In my opinion Dollanganger’s best work is her song “Dog Teeth.”
This tells the complex story of a rapist who is aware of his actions and asks the protagonist to pull out his teeth as “along as he had them, he’d use them to do bad things” Dollanganger sings.
As somebody who saw Isella perform live a couple years ago, I can tell you she is truly talented.
Isella mainly talks about misogyny and the systematic oppression against women. However she talks about the darkness and the true horrors women can face in society, and doesn’t sugar-coat anything.
She talks about themes like rape and sexual abuse. These songs can be hard to listen to and they should be, that’s what I love about her.
Some of my favorites from her include “Everybody Supports Women,” “Us and Pigs,” “Cacao and Cocaine” and “Above The Neck.”
In “Above The Neck” Isella talks about the fetishization of young women, usually from older men. “You’re 12 looking 20, or you’re 20 looking 12,” Isella sings.
Rather than Dollanganger’s softer voice and instrumental, Isella has sharp notes and suspenseful instrumentals. Her incredible vocals fit in the mix perfectly.
