Queer, Country, and…Spooky!

By Adeem Bingham, Staff Writer

It’s October, the spookiest of months, and so it seems fitting to dip into the macabre and share some seasonal songs from queer artists in a spooky little listicle. Hope all you ghouls and goblins are staying safe and thoroughly vetting the demons you’re conjuring.

“Creatures,” Jaimee Harris

We’re gonna kick this off with the newest edition of the spooky queer country canon: a freshly-released acoustic reworking of Harris’ song “Creatures,” inspired by a real-life wannabe vampire and delivered in an eerie video directed by Sloane and Felix Lenz.

“Snakebite” – She Returns From War

I have been evangelical about my love for SRFW, so how could I not include “Snakebite” on this list? It feels very much like it would be welcome on your Halloween playlist. Actually, go add it right now – it has all the chills and thrills you could ask for.

“The Witches Made Me Do It” – Ryan Cassata

This song mentions witches and also rides this eerie piano key repetitively with some spooky synth. I’m a little in love with the Stranger Things vibes and, “The witches got me through it,” as a reflection on transcending hard days: and aren’t these hard days? 

“Why Won’t You Come Back to Me” – Karen & The Sorrows

This one makes the list because of the eerie music video that climaxes in a delightful chant of, “Oh my little angel, send me back to hell.” As a proud apostate I’ve long been obsessed with hell and especially enamored with the exploration of heaven and hell as intersecting entities. 

“Banks of the Ohio” – Secret Emchy Society

Before we had Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix, we had poems and songs to process the ripple effects of tragedy. Here, Cindy shares a traditional American murder ballad from the 19th century. This’n has been sung by plenty of folk singers over the years but it’s scarcely gayer than when Cindy sings it.

“The Widows Walk” – Katie Dee & The Quaking Aspens

I love Katie Dee & The Quaking Aspens in all their lo-fi antifolk glory. “I’m waiting for my undead viking” to the sound of dragging chains is pretty Halloween-y to me. It seems like a “Thriller”-style group dance could be developed for this one but I have seen no evidence to suggest it exists yet. Maybe next year?