TRAITRS’ ‘Possessor’ is the coldwave album we’ve been waiting for

If you’ve been sleeping on TRAITRS, consider this your wake-up call — delivered in reverb-soaked guitars and haunting 808s at 3am.

The Toronto-based coldwave duo just dropped ’Possessor,’ their most ambitious record to date, and it’s the kind of album that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Ten tracks of gothic atmosphere, existential dread, and anthemic release — this is post-punk for people who feel everything a little too deeply. You know who you are.

From Bedroom Cassettes to 40 Million Streams

TRAITRS didn’t happen overnight. Over the last decade, the duo quietly built one of the most devoted followings in the underground — going from DIY cassette releases on a boutique label to racking up 40 million streams and 300,000 Spotify followers. They’ve played massive stages across multiple continents, and the momentum hasn’t slowed one bit. If anything, ‘Possessor’ feels like the moment everything clicks into full focus.

The album was produced by Josh Korody — a guy who’s worked with The Beaches, Japandroids, and F*cked Up — and mastered by Matt Colton, whose résumé casually includes The Cure, Depeche Mode, Fontaines D.C., and Dua Lipa. Yeah. That Matt Colton.

What Does It Sound Like?

Think The Cure’s brooding romanticism colliding with Joy Division’s cold urgency, with a little Bauhaus theatrics and Depeche Mode synth-craft thrown in for good measure. Critics have already been generous — American Pancake called it “an amalgam of Christian Death, Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and Bauhaus,” while Atwood Magazine praised lead single Dream Drowning as “theatrical, feverish, almost operatic in scope.” That’s not hype — that’s just accurate.

Standout moments on ‘Possessor’ include the anthemic Burn in Heaven, which signals a bold new chapter in the band’s sonic evolution, and the devastatingly intimate i was ill, you were wrong — a track that The Wild Is Calling described as “a sure thing for fans of The Cure and modern projects like Korine.” Then there’s Dream Drowning, a fever-dream of a song that loops the horrors of everyday life until it feels like something sacred and deeply unsettling all at once.

Themes of grief, isolation, ecstatic release, and the shadowy corners of the subconscious run through the whole record. It’s dark — but the good kind. The kind that makes you feel less alone.

Catch Them Live (Seriously, Don’t Miss This)

‘Possessor’ dropped today, and TRAITRS are already hitting the road for a full North American tour, kicking off tonight at Toronto’s Lee’s Palace. The run goes all the way through to May 16th at Ottawa’s House of Targ, with select dates alongside She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover, and Ultra Sunn. If you know those names, you already know this tour is something special.

‘Possessor’ is out now on all streaming platforms. Do yourself a favour and let it take over your night.