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TRAITRS have always had a way of drawing feeling out of the shadows. With POSSESSOR, the Toronto duo, Shawn Tucker and Sean-Patrick Nolan, refine that instinct into something quietly powerful. Their fourth full length record moves through darkness with patience and care, shaped by post punk and coldwave traditions but guided by a voice that feels completely their own.
The album opens with two singles that had already stirred anticipation ahead of its release: Burn In Heaven and I Was Ill, You Were Wrong. Both tracks set the emotional and sonic tone early on. Burn In Heaven draws from the haunting real-life story of Anneliese Michel, the 23-year-old woman subjected to dozens of exorcisms before ultimately dying from malnutrition. I Was Ill, You Were Wrong, on the other hand, comes from a more personal place. Written during a period when both members were confronting personal changes and depression, it channels a kind of aching melancholy that gradually rises into dark energy.
Seven Fictions follows with the air of a potential single itself. There is a clear nod to the bleak textures of the Pornography era of The Cure, though the track never feels like an exercise in imitation. Instead, it reinforces the album’s sense of mood, sounding dense and emotionally charged.
Throughout POSSESSOR, the band often leans into slower tempos, allowing the atmosphere to earn its space. Cold Skin embodies that approach well, while Selfish Hunger shifts toward a more melodic register, introducing a sense of familiarity without losing the album’s underlying weight. Prayertaker moves slightly further outward, adding a subtle rhythmic lift while holding onto the same bleak undercurrent.
That balance between movement and darkness becomes even clearer with Japanese Picture Pony, where danceable elements merge with the band’s characteristically pitch-black tone. It’s one of several moments on the record where TRAITRS show how naturally they can carry emotion into rhythm.
Dream Drowning highlights the haunting lyricism that has long been central to the band’s identity. There is something intimate in the way Tucker’s vocals sit within Nolan’s layered synth work, giving the track a reflective quality that lingers. Mourn follows with a similarly introspective tone, steeped in a quiet nostalgia that deepens the album’s emotionality.
The record closes with Crawl, a track that refuses to simply let the music fade away. Instead, it leaves a lasting impression. With touches of psychedelia and a subtle shoegaze glow, the song expands the sonic frame of the record while still belonging to its world. It feels like a final echo reverberating through the dark atmosphere that POSSESSOR carefully builds.
Produced by long-time collaborator Josh Korody and mastered by Matt Colton, the album carries a clarity that complements its mood. TRAITRS have created a deeply felt record shaped by shadow, memory, and persistence, held together by a sense of sincerity that runs through every track.
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TRAITRS
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