THE NIGHTCRY: PAIN, POWER, AND POSH GOTH
Romance, fashion, and emotion collide to create a modern 80s vibe
When I arrived at the interview point the elevator was out of order - and the meeting room was on the 4th floor. “It’s been like this for a while,” Sarah Campell said. “And people are getting pissed about it.”
Did we turn around and leave? No. That would be dumb. We took the stairs because we still had work to do. Fun work, but still we needed to take care of business.
The good stuff doesn’t come from taking it easy.
On 10 January 2026, I met with drummer Sarah, and guitarist Andreka Jasek to discuss their upcoming album "Black Roses, Violet Hearts." Along with bassist Shana Fairchild, keyboardist Hannah Rock, and vocalist Vincent Vuarnet, The NightCry channels what is emotional and meaningful in music from the 1980s, sharing it with new generations.
In the past the band has described their music lives "where romance and ruin collide." I asked Sarah and Andreka to expand on this idea and how they feel the two intersect.
“We know that romance can be very messy,” Andreka explained. “It can destroy you. It can do all kinds of ugly things. And through all of that, a lot of the time, we find ourselves, which can be extremely beautiful and inspiring.”
This album was new growth for the band, a rise from the last four or five years recovering from the pandemic - half a decade that broke so many of us.
The NightCry describes their music as Posh Goth - firmly planted in the dark subjects of Goth music but with a desire to share it in fabulous ways. Stylish black clothing, nightclub aesthetics, and by their own description "A touch of fetish flair that sets us apart." It’s a style, a feeling, a release and a presentation - all in one fierce package. In short, suggestive without the sleaze.
Sarah smiled, “I do my best thinking in the shower. It's one of those moments where there's clarity, there's quiet. And one day I was just like, ‘we're posh, we're goth. We consider ourselves to be very fashion forward. Growing up in my household, my mom was always very stylish. She always would be really into makeup and hair and clothing. And so that bled over into who I am as a person and who I am as an artist. And I'm so grateful because my bandmates have trusted that vision and allowed me to carry that over into our really distinguished aesthetic. And it's being noticed, and that makes me really happy. Like, humbly, it makes me very happy that people notice what we wear. And the fetish comes from an underground kind of naughty place, which is part of The NightCry.”
Naughtiness isn’t the only unconventional vibe the band emits. As a Boy-Fronted Girl Band, they added a creative counterattack to the idea of masculine rock by changing the script with a male-fronted model. Music fans love it, even if the trolls appear from time to time. Sadly, this type of sexist attitude still has an undeserved place in our world
Andreka started laughing. “One [comment] I hear a lot is,
‘Who in the band is a singer sleeping with?’
‘Oh, Jesus. Get off the stage, princess.’
[With the last one] I looked at Sarah. We were doing a sound check. And I was like, is he talking to us?
But then he got kicked out.”
The differences between boy and girl-front bands has as much to do with visuals as it does with emotion. Each model will approach and subject differently.
“I think it helps us craft our goals in the sense that with the songwriting when vocals are starting, Sarah continued. “It's very different than if one of the girls were singing. The tone, everything, it has a more masculine start to the song in a lot of ways. And then we can bring in the feminine side and kind of like, and it works together. That's really interesting. Each song is about infatuation and love and desire and breaking free from that. So to get that from a male's perspective is actually really unique. Vincent is very open with his lyrics and how he presents these songs. Men and women handle it in very much a different way.”
It takes a lot of work to promote this perspective to the musical world. It means outlining in clear detail what is great about the model and how it works. So the marketing end of the band’s goals is a huge part of the effort - focusing heavily on image, style, and musical influence.
In fact, they are knee deep in promotion right now, launching the year with interviews, and soon working all the behind-the-scenes details. There is plenty to do when marketing an album. It’s the pinnacle, even if it’s the toughest and least interesting. But The NightCry are pros at promotion, and I have the swag to prove it. The colors and types of swag they choose really matches the music they share.
Lots of black and purple!
“You get one shot to do it right,” Sarah said. “I mean, we are birthing a baby. And each of those little babies that are our songs. Fresh - they have no idea where they're supposed to land in this world. So our job is to give them direction and put them in the right hands of the right people. With marketing we just spent the past nine days, noses in computers, you know, press kits and postcards and stickers and giveaways and album art and liner notes and concepts.”
The band works hard to continue with their musical growth. They are now all stepping up and using the band as an opportunity to evolve their music theory. Most members are self-taught and active for years. And then there was Hannah - professionally trained in piano and theory.
“A lot has changed since the last time we met,” Andreka said. “We have significantly increased our lessons. I am using - and I never thought I would say this - much more music theory in songwriting now, and it's pretty awesome. Now we have more of the language of music theory in the band when we're writing. So Hannah can actually talk to us.”
Members are actively engaged in lessons to polish their craft, Vocal lessons, drum lessons, guitar lessons, and bass lessons. It’s a natural evolution for the band members who maintain friendship and respect with each other. This kind of blend nurtures building and fine-tuning their craft.
Additionally they go out of their way to play with musicians better than themselves. Andreka and Sarah both expressed excitement and satisfaction in having such mentors. It’s never too late to learn.
And The NightCry knows this firsthand!
Why? These musicians are not in this scene for the backstage booze or the singular fame. They want to create something special, something memorable, something that will speak to the people who hear the songs. This is not accomplished haphazardly.
Andreka clarified. “With your instructors, and your mentors, it all starts to add up to a completely different experience. We all play with other musicians and we make it a point to play with people much better than us. Because that's how I get better. The communal effort has really gelled in the last several years.”
For the band it takes the discipline of continuing to play, the humility to learn, the desire for craftsmanship, and a goal of collective improvement. In short, “If you think it’s broken, fix it!”
But staying close to what works is vital too. The band embraces a 1980s influence that is powerful and unmistakable. The styles they focus on from that decade fall along the darker underground and goth lineage. Basically, moody music swings with organs. Deeply solemn lyrics that are very personal mean everything to them. This is where their identity sharpens; they’re not pulling from neon nostalgia, scrunchies, leg warmers and IROC-Zs. Instead they pull from the fetish clubs, the suggestive MTV videos only shown after dark, the underground goth, and the gritty New York shadows.
Their aesthetic and sound are rooted in intentionality - a conduit funneling the sounds of 1986 forty years into the future. And it’s paying off.
Fans are supportive and mirror the band’s intentions through their own fashion and presence.
Sarah loves the kind of fashion support the band receives from the fans. “I think when you put on these outfits, it's like armor. You're going into battle and you feel stronger as your character. It gives them an outlet, gives us an outlet, feeling a part of something. Putting on the armor. That's so, so important.
There's something Andreka said to me not too long ago. We obviously play for our crowd, but she says we're playing for each other first because we're family. We're united. Again, if one parent isn't on board with the other parent, something's got to go a little sideways with the baby. So we all have to play for each other first, and then that allows us to play for the crowd second.”
This blend of communal dedication, music heritage, dynamic subculture, and fashion ritual is what makes Posh Goth a real thing.
And Then There’s Vincent, the Posh Goth God!
Vincent's vocals on this album are heavily influenced by Bowie in the Let's Dance era, from my perspective. The vocal tones and everything about it, it sounds like a perfect 1980s soundtrack. I asked Andreka and Sarah how they feel about his vocal style, Bowie in general and how it has contributed to this album.
“I think Vincent did an amazing job on this album. Lyrically, the notes he selected, the cadence, and I think Bowie is right on point, because I hear it too, and I'm very lucky to be in a band with someone that can produce vocals like that.”
Hearing Vincent in that voice doesn’t come across as a tribute or a copy; it sounds like Vincent with Bowie as a spirit animal - natural and comforting at the same time. That quality ties the songs together and promotes an aural cohesion.
After Bowie’s death, I heard great stories about him that only compounded his legend. It was sad that I never heard these stories when he was alive. But he was consistently creative throughout his entire life; he was always shifting and never wavering from what he believed in doing creatively.
Andreka smiled “Can you imagine what his text threads would be like? We were just talking today, like we drive each other nuts because we have like 20 million creative ideas at once and they're just like flying in on the phone. I think he's going to impact music for a very, very long time.
And his spirit certainly inspired their new album, both in music and vibe.
BLACK ROSES, VIOLET HEARTS
All the inspiration, pain, frustration, joy and love that a band could feel went into all the originals on this album. This was an album that came out of trouble and turmoil, according to Sarah and Andreka.
“So the title,” Sarah said. “Black Roses, Violet Hearts, there was something that we started with our text thread. Let me give you guys like a cute little inside scoop as to what we do. We would always like to end our text with a black heart and a purple heart. It was just like a simple thing when we started The NightCry, right? And so that notion carried over into the title, but it's so much deeper than just like a cute little emoji. There has been, I'll get emotional, there's been a lot of loss over the past, gosh, three years of us being a band that we lean into. I'm leaning into it now being extremely vulnerable. you know, not to get into the details because everybody goes through pain and loss and separation and loss of, you know, a family member that to me is a loss of a limb for me. Sickness, scary moments in all our lives; that really is the major theme of this album. It is not pretty. It is not polished, it is gritty, it is sad, it is also at the same time growth, enlightenment, and camaraderie between all of us.”
Andreka continued. “The black roses almost signify throwing a rose on a grave when something is done. And then the violet heart…we have a heart that's there. It's not necessarily red. It's bruised. It's purple, but it's coming back to life.”
This song caught me like a period-perfect, 80s-correct keyboard sound at the beginning. We discussed it further and asked them to open it up for me.
“Okay. It really came from exactly the first thing you just talked about is that keyboard strike. And that was it. Started with the riff. That keyboard straight from Hannah wrote the whole song. It was that simple. And as far as the lyrical theme, it's exploring the tension between dominance and submission and vulnerability and power. ‘Who's to say what's going on here?’ ‘Who's to say you're in charge?’”
This is a song about giving your life over to one person, your soul mate or someone you believe is far too important to let. You’ve made the cut; you have achieved the relationship you’ve dreamed about. But remember that with dedication and responsibility to your mate comes the potential consequence of losing others from your life. Like anything in our world, balance is important. Don’t lose your loved ones because you have a loved ONE!
The Cut started out as a completely different song, according to the band.
“The original is completely different. We actually played the original live, and then it morphed into something different. We had the pleasure of working with Joe Reineke at Temple Of The Trees Studio. When you put yourself in front of a very well-known producer, wow, it will humble you. He said, what do you want me to do with this? Then he completely flipped it upside down and we had to transform that baby.
And he heard something in it, was inspired by something in it and said, ‘I have something for you.’ This is a perfect real life example that you can hear on the album of us being vulnerable enough and willing to work with someone who has done way more shit than we ever have, who is amazing at what he does. and actually put our guard down and listen. Because it can be very difficult to have someone come tell you that your song doesn't work. But it takes working with yourself to be confident enough to say, ‘I am listening and I'm willing to put this guard down and I'm willing to try this.’ I think [it was] the best decision we could have ever made with this song. And it was hard. It was challenging. There were tears. This was that turning point with The Night Cry, working with Joe. This is the kind of producer I want to work with in the future.
SONG 3: KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
I felt that the epic opening riffs were inspired by The Edge from U2.
“I can hear it,” Andreka said. “Yeah. I can hear it, that kind of delayed guitar sound. It's almost like a mechanical sound in the background that your guitar is making that just has the 1980s written all over it.”
Turns out I was only partially correct.
“You know what my actual inspiration was? It’s The Cult - Big Neon Glitter. It sounds nothing alike, but that's how inspiration works sometimes.”
Sarah continued. “That's probably our most postmodern romance song I think we have on the album. It's very postmodern. I mean, that fast hi-hat beat that I have to do. It's a fun song. It is fun to play. I [love] the female backup vocals; there's a lot of ear candy in that. It's kind of fun to lay down. Vincent, he was just inspiring. He said ‘make sounds or hushes or Shhs or keep your mouth shut.’ So you'll hear that throughout it. So it's very creepy.
Listening to Stranger Danger, with its dissonant chords, vaguely Asian influence and emerging roughness, builds into a sense of anxiety. But was that the subject?
Andreka smiled. “You're not far off! This song's about, you know, when deep desire is left unchecked, it can get completely out of control. So that hence the tension grows when obsession starts getting a little crazy. There's a fine line there.”
Our measure as humans is determined by whether or not we act on these deep desires
“All your sorrow is still mine?” “That's me,” Sarah proclaimed. “I get teary-eyed thinking about that.”
Sarah has weathered a lot of change in the last two years, and the words came from personal experience. The song is a roadmap through her calendar.
“I didn't think about it in the moment. I addressed it as I've got a job here and it's to bring a tone and a sensualness to that spoken word. I didn't even think I thought about it until after. And then when I heard it back, all mastered out, I was like, ‘that's me.’ I lead very humbly, but I was really proud of myself. And it wasn't too many takes. I tend to hang on to people's emotions probably more than I should or longer than I should. So by singing that, it allows me to remind myself not to lose that part of me and for the band not to lose that part of them.
SONG 6: ONCE IS NEVER ENOUGH
Never Enough is a song that becomes more fun the more I listen. It’s sneaky; there are elements that arrive at my ears only after the fourth, fifth, seventeenth listen. It has a dancing beat, consistent percussion, playful keyboards, and oh-so-fine backing!
“Yeah, that's the Vampire song.”
And what 80s album would be complete without one?
From Sarah: “That song really comes to life is technically in the shadows, where it's encountering depths of lust from a deadly creature, if you will, and acting on instinct, knowing the risks involved with that deep desire, so it's almost like knowing you're allowing somebody to just suck you dry, yet you still keep coming back and don't know how to get out. For me, in a nutshell, that song is about self-discovery as well. That's the thing about art is we write it as artists for whatever inspires us, and then the listener has their own interpretation.”
THE REMASTERS: WHO’S TO SAY, BLUSH & FIND HERS KEEP HERS
These three songs from previous recording sessions were added to the album. But the recordings had a different vibe and needed audio massage.
Sarah explained. “We didn't change the composition of the song. With the remastering process, we made sure that the album as a whole is cohesive. We had great mastering and mixing in the past from Brian Skeel, so shout out. But when you make a decision to put your singles on an album, You just have to smooth them all out and stream them all together. So you have to remaster them.”
Andreka talked a bit about the tech behind the work. “And technology has changed as well. Blush, I think we recorded in 2021 or 2022. Like Sarah said, having a cohesive album with songs that we recorded a while ago and then these newer songs to make it sound like one baby, if you will. So you bring it up to spec to match the other stuff.”
That spec also guided how the cover was handled.
COVER: OPPORTUNITIES (LET’S MAKE LOTS OF MONEY)
A Pet Shop Boys song from the mid 1980s, written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, embodies the decade so well. To me, it was a brilliant addition to the record - a catchy era-accurate cover. I heard this in clubs and on the radio when it was a hit that long ago. It taps into much about the 80s that was highlighted by bands like Duran Duran, Thompson Twins, WHAM!, Human League, ABC, Spandau Ballet - and other bands that used a blend of high style and music that pushed past the standards of the 70s. If you look at what those bands represent, you'll see a lot of the same thing: Very stylish music, high fashion, classic inspiration for what they're doing, but with a twist from the 80s that no one ever expected. where 70s was take drugs, make a fuzzy cord, and wear a silk kimono on stage.
But what brought this particular song to their communal creative table?
Well, for starters its subject matter is dark yet veiled by a much happier song!
Andreka explained. “Well as you could probably guess, because you live in modern society, there's still a lot of excess and now with social media. It's kind of like a tongue in cheek commentary on that.”
And isn't it interesting how something that was written 40 years ago can be relevant now, but in a whole other way?
Sarah continued. “Exactly. Isn't that interesting? It just made sense when it got brought up. And it's fun. It's like Andreka said, it's tongue in cheek for our album. We had another cover picked and we ended up going with this one and I'm super happy that we did.”
She especially likes The NightCry version.
“You can hear more of the guitar, like rock influence too. And the Pet Shop Boys, they're very much known for their sort of dry humor. ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ Hopefully when this album comes out, some fat checks are going to kind of blow their way. Wouldn't that be cool? Good for them. Yeah. They're like, hey, wait, what? And they're going to come to Seattle looking for you. Call us, Pet Shop Boys, we're here.
Opportunities is very dark if you really think about it. Yeah. And you'll hear our version. It's slowed down a little. It's a little grittier. So, yeah, we're super, super proud of it.”
What does their tour schedule look like for 2026 so far?
“So far, feelers are out there. really focused on the album. So first and foremost is our album release, our listening party. And then we're going to be doing our album release party. So we'll have a listening party first. And then a show. So March 20th is a listening party at Apollo EXO's in Everett. And then May 30th is our release show at Aurora Borealis. And then other than that, this year we're focusing a lot on festivals and playing regionally and nationally.”
We discussed the long-range goals for the band and for Posh Goth in general. Since The NightCry is paying homage to Goth, it made me wonder if that was their way of bringing energy back to the Genre.
Sarah commented. “I don't think so. I think it's always been there. I think having us come into the scene is not like a moment. It just makes sense. I think it's natural. I don't think Goth needed it. I don't think Goth needs help with anything. I think low-key goth rules the world. We just don't know about it.
Since the band’s inception, the fans have really stepped up to support and enjoy.
“I think it's a huge positive. People who like us really like us. People who don't like us?. Yeah, that happens, That happens in everything. Our fans are so genuine, and it's really nice to see that. They actually care about what we're doing and they want to be part of it. And then they tell their friends and it just seems to happen organically. Yeah, we're very lucky in that aspect. Plus too, even though we haven't been super, super show focused in the past year in 2025, we still did a lot of going out, being in public, being with our music friends, seeing shows, even just going out together. We really do our best to stay connected personally. And then being out in public, too, in our armor, if you will, just being authentic, too. We're generally curious about what's happening out in the scene and what's going on with our friends and our friends' bands and maybe people that we don't even know. I mean, we've got dates on the calendar to go check out bands that are newer to us. We're constantly marketing and prospecting and networking. Again, this is a business. We're running a business. And supporting local music…that's a thing. You can't just say support local music and then not do it. Yeah. So we really try to support the local scene however we can. And let our guard down a little bit. We're fun. I mean, we are rock bands. It gives us a little time to misbehave, and then we get good song content out of that. And we were working on a song right now. It was something just us going out for one of my birthday events. So, yeah, there was inspiration just in that moment.”
The promotion never stops, since the band is consistently visiting other musicians, offering merch (they are the only band to send be a Christmas Card!), and finding ways to make The NightCry someone you think about regularly. Being creative in promotion is every bit as important as creativity in songwriting.
“We're already writing for the second album. We write and see what happens. Then we keep what works, we get rid of what doesn't. But we're in the very, we're in the preliminary stage, so it's all fresh and brand new. In fact, that's what we're doing after this. Think tanking…writing.
I had to ask if The NightCry was still fun for them. I knew the answer. Yes, of course. These folks stay together, play together, write together, and focus together on the primary goal of getting Posh Goth out to the fans. Send all admiration their way, because they deserve it. Artists are those who can take the pain of the day and turn it into a song that may help someone down the road. Sometimes being broken isn’t all bad, because it breeds improvisation and growth. And like the broken elevator that impeded our way to the fourth floor that day, we overcame the odds and used the stairs to achieve something fun.
In all honesty, I’m glad it was broken.
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