
In the early 2000s, the pop music industry became obsessed with EDM, turning nearly every hit into the audio equivalent of a strobe light: lyrical repetition, brash melodies, and a propulsive rhythm thatโs designed for dancing.
Britney Spears went from a kind of bubblegum pop in โโฆBaby One More Timeโ to that techno-pop sound we hear in โToxic.โ Justin Timberlake went from teen pop ballads like โTearinโ Up My Heartโ with NSYNC to the heavier electro-pop style in โSexyBack.โ
But when Lana Del Rey debuted โVideo Gamesโ in 2011 and then her first full album, Born to Die, in 2012, she helped the genre shift toward a moodier, more atmospheric sound. Del Rey didnโt invent dream pop or baroque pop โ the genres sheโs most often categorized in โ but she certainly helped bring it into the 21st century and broaden the pop landscape beyond EDM-influenced beats.
Of course, not everyone is a fan of the direction pop started moving in by the mid-2010s. For those who donโt like Lana Del Rey or the dream pop/baroque pop genres, itโs usually because they find it slow, sleepy, and sad. Thatโs fair. Not all of us can dance while weโre crying.
But for those who are fond of that slower, edgier pop, here are some newer artists with distinctive voices, richly textured melodies, and just whole boatloads of atmosphere.
CASHFORGOLD
This Detroit-based singer-songwriter offers a signature blend of moody dream pop and brash electronic beats. Her songs are what you need if youโre just as likely to dance around your bedroom to Britney Spearsโs โToxicโ as you are to belt Lana Del Reyโs โBlue Jeansโ into your hairbrush.
After performing alongside a variety of other acts, she made her solo debut with โi could be your goddessโ in 2019:
Most of her tracks are heavy, slow, and haunting, like โOn My Mind,โ which builds up slowly and then engulfs you:
And if you were ever in doubt of her qualifications for being on this list, she teamed up with Sidewalks and Skeletons to release a โBorn to Dieโ cover last year, putting a gritty electronica twist on the Lana Del Rey hit:
Amber Jay
The young artist from Liverpool is brand new to the scene, having just released her debut EP Never Too Far From a Dark Thought in 2021 which sets her breathy, emotive voice against a backdrop of haunting yet curiously bouncy soundscapes. Take this track from the EP as an example:

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In her latest single, โEqual,โ the tempo is a little faster but the layering of instruments and vocals adds rich texture:
Mia Mormino
Mia Mormino is an incredibly talented and driven artist who writes, records, and releases all her songs herself โ and then directs and produces her own music videos to boot. Her songs pair the singerโs rich contralto vocals with catchy beats and memorable hooks that tend toward the dark and haunting end of the spectrum.
She mixes a shot of the fearless, unapologetic energy of iconic female rappers like Cardi B or Doja Cat with a bottle of the introspective, angsty energy of a late-night existential crisis.ย Take โMercyโ as an example:
Her latest single, โPour Another,โ is a danceable bop with vulnerable yet empowered lyrics:
XYLร
Originally a brother-sister duo made up of Paige and Chase Duddy, XYLร became Paigeโs solo project in 2018. The singer-songwriterโs brooding dark pop sound gets its unique flair from her experimental approach that gives each track its own distinct genre-bending soundscape.
โFreak,โ for example, feels like bubblegum, EDM, and dark pop became a thruple:
Meanwhile, the cinematic and brooding โNeon Crucifixโ sits at the intersection of dream pop and synth pop:
CAPPA
Carla Cappa โ known professionally as just CAPPA โ brings a certain brightness to her atmospheric dream pop tracks. If you want something a touch more upbeat but still dark enough to match your soul, sheโs it.
โI doโ puts faster but still dark instrumentals behind her breathy mezzo-soprano vocals:
Likewise, โSux,โ is one of the peppier breakup songs Iโve ever heard:
She also released this dark synth-pop version of โJingle Bellsโ last year that kind of perfectly captures her unusual mix of brooding and cheerful sounds:
DeathByRomy
If you want your dark pop to be 95% dark and 5% pop, check out this LA-based artist. DeathByRomyโs sound is hypnotic, heavy, and full of force. Itโs the music you put on to pump yourself up before delivering poetic justice to somebody who wronged you.
Her powerful voice drills right into your core in โDay I Dieโ where a strong heavy metal influence weaves through the dark pop track:
Even on her moodier and less metal-inspired tracks like โDonโt Fall for Monsters,โ her vocals are just as hypnotic:
In โI Feel Like A God,โ the distortion and deep bass add an edge to the atmosphere that transforms it from the quiet haunting of We Have Always Lived in the Castle to the more aggressive haunting of The Poltergeist: