Does emotronica exist? saoirse dream’s “Grimdark” answers that

October 7th, 2026 - saoirse dream proclaimed via X: “on friday i will prove to all of you that emotronica is real and you can in fact define it”.

Catherine Egbert, better known as saoirse dream, has been making music since 2020 and is notable in the hyperpop scene. However, I only recently became aware of her music while perusing similar artists while building a new playlist.

I’ll be honest, it was the single covers for “death vs dying”, “killer bees”, and “grimdark” that drew me in. The medieval-style black and white visuals were just a taste of what was to come on this album. The more I listened, the more I was intrigued by the concept of grimdark. 

Starting off strong with “death vs dying”, the lead single centers on a fictional concept befitting the album name. The narrator is reliving the trauma of her older sister’s death through heartbreaking lines like: “I’m twenty-one now / and she’ll be sixteen forever”. This gut punch is followed up by “killer bees”, an angry and honest song in stark contrast to the prior. While the first imagines the pain, this song feels it and it is livid.

The album vacillates between plucky chiptune synths and a grittier, harsher, and to be quite frank emo sound. Songs like ‘sunflower” are brighter before eventually returning to the darker tone that follows the project. 

Coming in at just 26 minutes in its eight track run, saoirse dream’s new album grimdark is under a lot of pressure to the existence of the alien genre, emotronica. And, you know what? Hell yeah. I wasn’t a dissenter of emotronica before, but I’m definitely not now. This album does that and more. It’s angry, it’s reflexive, it’s sad, and most of all, it’s so, so good. 

If you are still a nonbeliever of emotronica after the rest of the album, listen to “someone like me will do” right now. Possibly my favorite off the album. It combines lighter chip tune synths instrumentals with screaming vocals and distorted guitars and bass. You can really hear Egbert’s experience in punk bands shine through on this specific song, making it a standout for me.

saoirse dream and her band will embark on a tour in support for this album in just a week, so if she’s coming to any city near you (unlike me), then pop out and listen to grimdark amongst other music by her.