Skeletons Can Dance Too

Halloween is my favorite holiday. The only one I like, to be exact. Foods and confections aside, Valentines' Day gets a pass, Easter is more often than not forgettable, and Christmas, as backwards as it is, gives me the heebie-jeebies. For some twisted reason, my anxious self decided very early on in life that I was going to be obsessed with anything and everything horror, from literature to visual arts, cinematography, and of course, music.

Being a lover of the macabre means being hooked to the unexpected, the fascinating, the inexplicable, similar to a child's attachment to their Halloween candies. There's something terribly addicting in being afraid, perhaps due to the adrenaline rush, or the sudden contrast with our mundane lives. It's riveting. In this playlist, this is exactly what I wanted to accomplish—create a collection of songs to keep you on the edge of your seat and grip you by the guts. Music to immerse listeners into another world, perhaps one populated with flesh-eating zombies, or into another's skin, such as a bloodthirsty vampire or a serial killer collecting his victim's teeth.

Everyone loves a good callback to our classics, but even though Michael Jackson's Thriller is undoubtedly timeless, it isn't enough to scare us anymore. Our 2021 Halloween parties need a touch of modern fear to create unforgettable nights that will stay with all of your partygoers for a very, very long time. Go big or go home, isn't it?

So, embrace this playlist of varicolored genres, tuck the kids in bed, and crank that volume up.

Vök - Breaking Bones

Take the bones away from me

Feel the weight I hold

To get the ball rolling, Vök's instrumental takes us into a world where the bizarre, the eccentric, the unnatural holds the reins. This progressive song enveloped me from the moment I first heard it, and it wasn't willing to let go. Out of nothing but sound, it created images of UFOs in the sky, circus freaks ushering me past the ticket line, and grotesque creatures dancing in circles.

The question is—like me, will you join in?

Weathers - C'est la vie

Someone go get me some more confetti

I think I might have hit bottom already

In this alternative indie song, the instrumental hits unexpectedly within the very first notes while the vocal distortion keeps the listeners captivated. Similar to what drew viewers in with the popular Netflix show Stranger Things, this piece is mysterious and thrilling, like it's carrying secrets of its own, secrets that are just waiting to be unleashed. It reminds me of a 1970s small town horror story, with its dark humor, loveable characters and bloody endings.

Hollywood Undead - Dead bite

You got nowhere to run to so don't try hiding

'Cause I'm known to be like Jack Nicholson from The Shining

Yeah, I'm breaking your door down so don't try fighting

Yeah, you gotta keep 'em fed or the dead keep biting

In this nu metal song—the perfect combination of industrial, rock, hip hop and grunge music—I'm transported in the middle of street riots, into a dystopian society lost to a zombie apocalypse. This piece by Hollywood Undead (fitting name, don't you think?) is the perfect song to blast through the speakers at your next Halloween party, especially for college students or young minds in dire need of revolt.

Johnny Goth - Graves

And if I die before I wake

Will you tell them I was real

Time for the ghosts and the paranormal to crawl out from under the bed. This song by Johnny Goth sings of mystical and spiritual beings, with hushed voices and whispered words. Picture a cemetery where you can walk amongst the dead, the eternally asleep, and slip through the dense fog that hovers above the ground.

Almost as if you were never there.

CORPSE - White Tee

Don't follow me baby, swear I'm going to hell

Think I'm looking for a piece of you in somebody else

I couldn't make a 2021 Halloween playlist without adding the king of the internet himself: Corpse Husband. Although Corpse's music is fierce and doesn't cut any corners lyrically, it all comes from his personal experience with the hardships of life—physical illness, pain, anxiety, depression. Corpse doesn't sugar coat things, yet his way of connecting with his audience is something special. Something we should all learn from.

If you're not into any of that though, you can still enjoy one hell of a party banger.

MISSIO - Everybody Gets High

Once upon a time in a land far away

There lived a little boy and he cried all day

There's something inexplicably eerie about Missio's vocals, and when you combine it to electronic and dubstep beats, you end up with the perfect musical cocktail for a Halloween party. I don't know about you, but I can picture the flashing lights, painted faces and swaying bodies dancing to it all too clearly.

Natasha Blume - Black Sea

Come down to the Black Sea

Swimming with me

Go down with me, fall with me

With Natasha Blume's enchanting voice, it's now time for women empowerment. Witches, sirens, fallen angels and so many more, join hands before the gathered crowd and show us what you can do. For women, too, can embrace the darkness.

BewhY - GOTTASADAE

Don't pick a fight against me

You will look up to me

South Korean rapper BewhY is a master of lyrics, flow and instrumentals. In this track discussing his nation's culture and the power struggle of the music industry, he also portrays an artistic but odd image of mankind. The use of orchestra, choir and rap is perfectly balanced and creates a unique atmosphere that will leave none indifferent.

I strongly recommend taking a look at the music video to get further insight on BewhY's ingenuity.

Cigarettes After Sex - Neon Moon

No telling how many tears I've sat here and cried

Or how many lies that I've lied

Although a cover of the original country song, this track by the band Cigarettes After Sex is handled in a beautifully terrifying way. From the softness of the drums to the low vocals, it really works wonders in sending me back to a murder scene from the 1990s. The contrast between a gentle tune and the brutality of murder has never failed to scare audiences—why change a winning recipe?

Billie Eilish - bury a friend

Step on the glass, staple your tongue

Bury a friend, try to wake up

Cannibal class, killin' the son

Being that this is a modern playlist, I just couldn't get past one of the most beloved icons of mainstream music, Billie Eilish. Bury A Friend has got to be one of her most unsettling tracks, from the melancholic but brilliant lyrics to the disturbing sound effects—this song simply cannot be skipped.

Cyberpunk2077 soundtrack - Johnny Silverhand's theme

Wake the fuck up, samurai

Lastly, I couldn't resist adding one of my all time favorite video game soundtrack, the epitome of modern day immersion: Cyberpunk2077. Surprisingly, the lack of vocals doesn't take anything away from this track, no, instead, you get to feel the rising tension, the urgency of the situation and the raw emotion of the cello without any disturbances. Get on the dance floor, lights out, forget everything else and let yourself fall victim to the beat.