*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.