Line Up: presented by "black tide" - dark wave, goth, post punk an more
In a decade long career that includes performances in over 30 countries, multiple international tours, over 52.3 million streams across all dsp’s, a feature in Lionsgate’s 2024 remake of the cult classic film The Crow, plus the imminent release of their much-anticipated new LP Possessor (available everywhere on March 13, 2026), TRAITRS look to reclaim their place as one modern goth’s most cinematic, compelling and hardest working bands. Produced by Josh Korody (The Beaches, The Dirty Nil, Japandroids, Fucked Up) and mastered by Matt Colton (The Cure, Depeche Mode, Fontaines D.C., Wet Leg, Dua Lipa, The Rolling Stones, James Blake, Blur etc), this record finds the band musically and lyrically in the throes of personal anguish and despair.
“There's a lot of anger, beauty and sadness on the new album," says singer and guitarist, Shawn Tucker. “Possessor is unconditional, unflinching, and unapologetic.”
TRAITRS formed in late 2015, when Shawn Tucker (vocalist/guitarist) met writer/keyboardist Sean-Patrick Nolan in Toronto, Ontario through mutual friends and a shared fondness for punk, electronic music, art house and horror films. They crafted their angular post-punk sound after spending endless months writing together in their flats before taking their bedroom recordings to acclaimed producer and multi-instrumentalist, Josh Korody at Candle Recording. Together with Korody, the duo carved out their nightmarish mosaic of icy guitars, melancholic synths, motorik drum machine rhythms, anthemic melodies woven together with horror-laced lyricism, capturing the spirit of older bands like The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus and Cocteau Twins, while keeping their sound modern and forward looking.
In April 2016, TRAITRS released their debut cassette tape Rites and Ritual on Toronto’s hip boutique label Pleasence Records, which quickly garnered underground buzz in Germany, Peru, Brazil, Mexico and France. That momentum carried the duo into 2018 when TRAITRS released their critically acclaimed second album Butcher’s Coin (Pleasence Records, Manic Depression Records, Alchera Visions). Based on the stratospheric success of lead single “Thin Flesh”, along with live favorites “The Lovely Wounded” and “The Suffering of Spiders'', Butcher’s Coin proved itself to be one of the seminal goth releases of the last decade. As of this writing, “Thin Flesh” has over 17.5 million streams on Spotify and in August 2024, the song featured in 2024’s version of the cult classic film The Crow starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs.
Since 2018, TRAITRS have performed in over 30 countries, including showcases at several international music festivals including Sanctum, Levitation Fest, Wave Gothik Treffen, Amphi, Castle Party, Extramuralhas, Nocturnal Culture Night, W-Fest, Wavefest, Canadian Music Week and Pop! Montreal. In November 2021, TRAITRS released Horses in the Abattoir (Freakwave Records) which was Sonic Seducer’s Album of the Month and topped several “year end” lists not to mention was Number 1 for weeks on the DAC Charts in Germany. TRAITRS spent the better part of 2022 on tour in support of Horses in the Abattoir throughout Europe and North America before supporting She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover and She Wants Revenge all across North America to close out the year.
From February 23, 2023 in Copenhagen, DK until April 25 2024 in Santa Ana, California, TRAITRS supported electronic group VNV Nation on the “Electric Sun World Tour” performing in theatres all throughout Europe and North America. TRAITRS also supported new wave legends Chameleons on a German tour in 2023 and She Wants Revenge. After successful stints all throughout Europe and the UK in spring 2025, TRAITRS just finished supporting Twin Tribes on their Darker Skies tour in historic venues and theatres across North America in June 2025.
After 5 years of relentless touring and little time to record new material, TRAITRS will finally release their new LP Possessor on March 13, 2026, after which they will commence their lengthy European and North American tour, starting March 13 2026 in Toronto, Canada at Lee’s Palace.
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RUEBI (Ruediger Walter) is a German artist, singer; Bass player, Bedroom Producer, from Hamburg.
1987 switched to the German post-punk formation Pink Turns Blue as a keyboardist and bassist. He accompanied the band on several international tours for 21 years, lived in London for 2.5 years and left the band during the Corona crisis to produce songs for his solo project.
