Possessor
Freakwave, 2026
10/10
The Toronto coldwave duo, Traitrs, are back with a 4th album, and it’s an effort that explores mortality, alienation and existence with the members Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker in fine form.
“Burn In Heaven” opens with a dense beat, where Tucker’s striking voice is met with swirling guitar that unfolds with a tuneful version of post-punk, and “I Was Ill, You Were Wrong” follows with buzzing synth and powerful singing that’s noisy but still melodic in a dark manner.
Moving into the middle, “Selfish Hunger” recruits ambience and builds into a busy mesmerizing display of sonic energy, while “Dream Drowning” embraces both dance floor tendencies and gothic ideas that radiate in a meticulous album highlight.
“Japanese Picture Pony” and “Crawl” exit the listen. The former rumbles amid firm drum sounds and Nolan’s bright synth, and the latter enlists traces of intimacy via the heartfelt singing and hazy climate.
It’s pretty hard not to think of The Cure, Sisters of Mercy or Bauhaus when listening to Possessor, and as a post-punk fan I am more than ok with that, which means that I will be revisiting TRAITRS often.
Travels well with: Dear Boy- Celebrator; The Wants- Bastard