IT IS AN EXPERIENCE, not just a genre. A patchwork of scars; a biography. Dark pop is both a comfort and an ache – but in all ways a tonic for the broken.
As with all material that stands beyond the boundaries of the mainstream, it remains misunderstood. 'Why would you want to listen to something that makes you sad?' they might say. To that, the retort is: 'If you are feeling sad, why wouldn't you listen to something that makes you feel better?'
Sophie Craik was a teenager, mired by disquiet, sitting alone in her bedroom, and searching for an outlet. Something, to butcher the cliché, to make sense of it all. Music was attractive and she had discovered artists who seemed to have been going through the same thing she was.
The emotion scratching below the surface felt at home but shackled all the same. She would have to create something of her own.
However, she felt there were few avenues for a solo artist to develop. Everything seemed stacked against her and the dream began to fade away. At least for a while.
"Being in a band didn't seem possible," she recalls. "It was the late 2000s and everyone wanted to be in a four-piece indie band; and I was too female to be included in any of those.
"Fast forward a number of years and I had left an abusive relationship, and vowed never to let anyone, including myself, stop me from doing the things I truly wanted to do.
"I had gotten really into Lil Peep, Bexey, MGK, $uicideboy$, all of which had this proper DIY aspect to them that I was so excited about.
"There was a big bedroom pop thing happening outside of those artists too, and it finally dawned on me that I could actually do something like this myself.
"So that's how Misty Galactic was born, cross-legged on my bed with Ableton in front of me and a massive amount of YouTube tutorials. I did my first gig about a year later."
The march of Misty Galactic had taken its first step into a blanket of dark, thick with warmth and empowerment. This would be cathartic, more than anything else. But it can also be fun.
"My work tastes like whisky at 2am. My work feels like teardrops during a last kiss. My work smells like the cigarette you needed when it was all over..."
For a blossoming artist – influenced by dark and eerie electro-pop and the unashamedly angst-ridden emo-heroes of the day – this made a world of sense. She could pull on all the threads she wanted to and create something that spoke directly to her. It was a project borne from an attempt to put the "bad stuff" down on paper and out into the world.
"That was what made me feel connected to dark pop as a genre," the singer adds. "I like the honesty, and the fact that the topics covered feel a bit more hard-hitting. I think the aesthetics, not to sound pretentious, were also always going to mean that was where I would end up.
"In terms of veering away from more regular pop, I don't think I really ever had a choice, to be honest – this might be a little like asking Wednesday Addams if she's ever considered wearing colour.
"Most of the time I am completely incapable of writing a 'cheerful' song, which I think vetoes me from doing super commercial pop even if I wanted to. My latest single I'm Done is the most upbeat thing I've ever made and, even then, you can tell I'm pretty furious in it.
"I think that's a combination of the type of personality I have, the experiences I've been through, and the references I'm most drawn to. Dark pop allows me to explore all of those – I can be the moody, sarcastic person I am. I can talk about the bad things that have happened, and the more x-rated side of life. I can lean into all the spooky things I love for visual inspirations if I want."
The creation of Misty Galactic was a revelation for Craik who felt a greater freedom to express herself. She is a character, of sorts, but one based on who she is.
Most people have a version of themselves that is free from undesirable obligation, unburdened by inhibition, but most people keep that version hidden away.
Misty is a manifestation of ambition, a tribute to that part of ourselves that we like the most. For Craik, the alter-ego is, in a sense, a role model and a reminder not to compromise on who she is.
"Misty and Sophie are pretty interchangeable as people," the singer reflects. "I'm really like that as a person, it's maybe just a bit more exaggerated or comes out more regularly under the banner of Misty Galactic.
If I'm too dark for some people in the topics I talk about or the imagery, I know that'll be right up someone else's street...Having said that, I think the ideas I explore are actually quite universal – toxic love, mental health challenges, and addiction are things that affect most people."
"Misty's just who Sophie wants to be at all times. She does all the normal things that Sophie has to do, like attend a day job and go to Tesco, but she manages to have incredible eyeliner every single day, lives in a very stylish crypt and one day will have Jared Leto on speed dial. I think of her less as a character, and more like the Batman to my Bruce Wayne.
"I never once thought to go by my real name, and to be honest, I'm glad I didn't. I already get stage fright, and that's as my edgier, tougher alter ego, so I can't imagine how bad it would be if Sophie was up there."
Dark pop has witnessed a surge in popularity. Arguably, some of the biggest stars in the industry fall within that category, or experiment with elements of it. Billie Eilish has certainly gone down that route, along with Lana del Rey, Charli XCX and BANKS, to varying degrees.
Image can be a huge selling point for a lot of artists, especially so when dealing with darker material. All art is contextual. For some, the looks could be the very thing that pushes them away, but there will be others that will feel right at home. However, the themes that Misty Galactic explores are not exclusive to any subculture, they will be recognisable in some fashion but the vast majority of people.
Craik adds: "I don't think I'm all that worried about someone not giving me a chance if dark pop isn't for them. I'm authentically myself with the music I make and if that's not right for someone, then that's okay.
"Music is super subjective and is always going to resonate with some more than others; I've made my peace with that. If I'm too dark for some people in the topics I talk about or the imagery, I know that'll be right up someone else's street.
"Having said that, I think the ideas I explore are actually quite universal – toxic love, mental health challenges, and addiction are things that affect most people.
"I describe my work as songs about love, lust and liars. Like Lana Del Rey or BANKS, my songs immerse you in the world of an emotion, set to a backdrop of wavy guitars and trap beats.
"My work tastes like whisky at 2am. My work feels like teardrops during a last kiss. My work smells like the cigarette you needed when it was all over. TLDR; I make pop music for sadbois and goth girls."
Misty Galactic has numerous releases to her name already, stretching back to 2017. She released an EP the following year, titled Heart Shaped Bruises, and followed up with a handful of singles, most recently the infectious break-up track I'm Done.
"The only aims I started out with were to try and get some of the experiences I'd had in my life out in some kind of creative and beautiful way – like therapy, but with more trap beats."
The chronology is a progression and refinement of her sound. Her latest single has certainly been well-received but there is plenty more to come this year.
The singer adds: "The only aims I started out with were to try and get some of the experiences I'd had in my life out in some kind of creative and beautiful way – like therapy, but with more trap beats.
"Other than that, it was a fairly organic process of trial and error to explore what my sound even was.
"It's interesting that so many people pick up on the soundscape that I create, considering that it wasn't the first thing I started to develop, and certainly isn't the aspect I would consider my strength.
"I think I've always been a songwriter first and foremost, with the lyrics leading the way. I guess I'm lucky that I seem to have a natural ability to put arrangements together as well."
She continues: "I'm working on a few collabs this year – my next release will be a single with Vagrant Real Estate, an incredible producer based up in Aberdeen. I'm also working on a longer side project which is super top secret at the moment.
"I'll have another two or three singles out this year and then hopefully a new EP, or maybe even, gasp, an album at the beginning of 2022."
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