OoOoOo! DIY’s Essential New (Halloween) Tracks

In a phantom scream, swaggering bass and immense flourish of a black velvet curtain, Creeper storm onto the stage of Halloween melodrama with ​‘Teenage Sacrifice’. One of many soaring cuts of Steinman-inspired bombast from their latest album ​‘Sanguivore’, ​‘Teenage Sacrifice’ packs in operatic darkness, quaking midnight metaphors, frontman Will Gould’s unstoppably-growing charisma, and a rapt-inducing tale of cover-of-darkness chaos. Between the lascivious passion and magnificent magnitude, it’s more than enough to sink your teeth into and feast on this Halloween. (Ims Taylor)

The singer’s first new release in two years, ​‘Vampire’ was a biting comeback from Olivia Rodrigo. A moody track that begins as a piano ballad before building towards its drum-driven crescendo, it bursts to life to make way for Rodrigo’s full performance as it reaches its show-stopping final chorus. Striking the perfect balance between rage and utter disappointment, ​‘Vampire’ is the perfect way to leave a no-good man for dead. (Katie Macbeth)

The burgeoning London five-piece’s second single arrived at the end of June as a follow-up to April’s seismic debut ​‘Nothing Matters’. Threaded together by the tattoo of piano chords and accentuated by some delicious guitar riffs, ​‘Sinner’ tip-toes through a stripped-down bridge before falling into a twirling, triumphant final chorus. Though darker than their first outing, the track carries the same whimsy that characterises the whole of The Last Dinner Party project, and laid the way for the anthemic, if slightly culty vibes of their third offering ​‘My Lady of Mercy’. (Caitlin Chatterton)

The year may have concluded for hemlocke springs with the arrival of her new EP ​‘going…going…GONE!’, but it started with the release of ​‘stranger danger!’, the synth-loaded, 80s-coded chaser to 2022’s viral hits ​‘gimme all ur luv’ and ​‘girlfriend’. Most of the North Carolina artist’s tunes are breezy Gen Z bangers, but ​‘stranger danger!’ takes on a tense, spookier feeling. Tripping along at an anxious pace, the track turns over fears, burdens and capitalism with easy cynicism: ​“if you want a bite of me don’t forget to pay commission”. It may be an oldie (relatively speaking – her musical career is barely 18 months old), but ​‘stranger danger!’ is not to be forgotten among her growing catalogue. (Caitlin Chatterton)

No Halloween playlist is complete without a somewhat unsettling offering from alt-pop trailblazer Caroline Polachek. ​‘Blood And Butter’ sees the singer revel in the intensity of falling in love, expressed through divine — and equally hellish — imagery. ​‘Paint the picture in blood and butter / Holy water, fire in the sky’, Polachek sings: a vivid manifestation of her all-consuming desire. Tying together folk themes and an electronic backbone with the howling of bagpipes, it’s an eclectic soundscape that is perfect for the spooky season. (Emily Savage)

Though it was released way back in January, the sophomore single from South London’s Heartworms encapsulates the spirit of Halloween just about perfectly. Skittering beats are punctuated by death-knell chimes and the occasional scream before Jojo Orme’s ominously whispered vocals have even kicked in, while the track’s accompanying monochromatic video only adds to its powerful sense of underlying dread. Happy listening! (Daisy Carter)

Tags: Features, Caroline Polachek, Creeper, Heartworms, Hemlocke Springs, Listen, Olivia Rodrigo, The Last Dinner Party, Watch