short disclaimer i do not own any of this music, i've linked back to the artist in each entry and everything embedded is from either bandcamp or spotify. if any information included here is incorrect or you are an artist who would like their work removed/anything changed please feel free to contact me! my email can be found on the home page above the webring. a * before an entry denotes that it is one of my ultimate favourites ^_^ also i don't always analyze or read super far into the music i listen to i just like sounds so my interpretations of what lyrics means probably aren't the most sophisticated or groundbreaking ever..

*femtanyl, aka noelle, is a digital hardcore artist based in toronto. her music often engages with themes of sexual assault, self harm, abuse, mental illness, being transgender etc. femtanyl began making music under this stage name in 2023 with the single S33K H3LP. featured on many of her single, ep, and album covers is a cartoon cat character named token.

the album CHASER is one of my top albums ever. overall, the whole album is about someone an abusive relationship in which one person is abusing and fetishizing the other, who is trans. individually, the songs explore themes like mental illness, abuse, suicide, drug use, and being transgender. all 6 tracks are so good, no skips. MURDER EVERY 1 U KNOW!, PUSH UR T3MPRR, and P3T are my favourite songs on the album. many of the the lines referencing depression/mental illness and suicide are pretty relatable to me ("i don't leave my house, i don't even leave my bed / [...] / i glitter in the strobe light and i bloat under the water / i never wanna go outside again, it's better, i'm your-" (P3T), "i take my e and think about my setbacks / take it easy on me, do not ask me for my bus pass" (MURDER EVERY 1 U KNOW!), etc) as well as many of the references to being transgender ("i get clocked like it's a job to me" (PUSH UR T3MPRR), "i take my e and think about my setbacks" (MURDER EVERY 1 U KNOW)).

i'm also a huge fan of femtanyl's other work -- my top 3 singles are I MIGHT B3 SICK, AND I'M GONE, and LOVESICK, CANNIBAL. i don't have any particular reason for these being my favourites, i just think they sound nice.

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*Black Dresses were a canadian noise pop/electro-industrial duo consisting of Ada Rook and Devi McCallion. they make music about transmisogyny, abuse and trauma, existence, mental health issues, society, connection, etc. they began making music together online in 2018 and initially disbanded in 2020 due to extreme online harassment directed at McCallion, but continued to release music together until 2024, when they released what they said would be their final album.

WASTEISOLATION is Black Dresses' debut album, released in 2018. it is an electro-industrial/noise pop album that explores themes such as transmisogyny, trauma, isolation, and existence. my top songs of the album (in no particular order) are THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS and RUNNER.

i especially like RUNNER because to me it feels triumphant -- "i'll get away and i'll be all that i dreamed of / i'll become everything that you were so scared i would be / i'll push the limits of what you thought i was capable of / you'll never see me again / i know what you did to me" is a verse that really sticks out to me because it makes me think of how society tries to hold trans people back from transitioning or being their authentic selves, and when we break free from societal expectations ("i'll get away and i'll be all that i dreamed of") we can be whatever we want to. the feeling of 'getting away' (from unsupportive family, hometown, school, etc.) and finally having the freedom to do what makes you feel happiest is unparalleled and this song always makes me think of how i feel when i return to my university town from a summer in my hometown, and how i felt when i first got here.

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS is another favourite of mine because i really like how it addresses the way politicians and high-profile individuals will offer their condolences to families of victims (this song refers specifically to trans/homophobic attacks (both physical and legal) but it can also be applied to victims of mass shootings, police brutality or other hate crimes, etc.) instead of actually doing anything to solve the problem. the lines "and in my dreams, i am / somewhere where i can fall apart / i can think nothing / and only feel what i need to" resonate with me as well because it makes me think of blissful ignorance, and wishing that you could be so but you're unable to ("in my dreams") because it's something that makes you directly unsafe.

PEACEFUL AS HELL is the 4th album from Black Dresses. it was released in 2020 and tackles themes such as being transgender, disassociation, and social connection. i think this would have to be my favourite Black Dresses album, and my top 3 songs in the album (again, in no particular order) are DAMAGE SUPPRESSOR and MiRRORGiRL.

DAMAGE SUPPRESSOR is one of my favourite songs of all time. to me it feels like continuing on despite all the struggles, doing your best to compromise on the bad things and finding the good things that make it all worth it. the first verse, "worthless praying / keep the music playing / can you keep on singing with me / as the hours stretch on so evil / hopeless loving / shitty beat keeps thumping / let's get one more song in / i can't stand the endless silence dragging on" especially exemplifies this -- the music is a good thing and the silence bad, so you keep the music playing and the beat thumping so the silence stops and it feels better.

MiRRORGiRL really exemplifies the themes of self-awareness and transness in this album. the questions it asks, "is this everything i am?" "can i be anything else?" "can i be anything more than this?" "am i trying hard enough?" and the requests it makes, "tell me i can be anything / tell me i can be what you want / tell me i just have to try hard enough" are a really honest representation of self-loathing and criticism. i think the lines "am i trying hard enough", "tell me i'm just fucking confused", "a ghost-like shape / [...] / a paper doll / [...] / a shadow soul" are really reminiscent of a trans person struggling with themself, their identity, their body and their transition, and not feeling like they're enough.

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