This is just a fun list of songs that sound great to me for the vibes I’m seeking for my dark academia fantasy novels (3 now!) or the titles of the songs sound like would be perfect for dark academia.
There are MANY dark academia playlists already made on Spotify by better musical folks than myself! But these are mostly song titles that are giving dark academia vibes for me and my stories.
What makes a good dark academia vibes song?
- Lyrics are poetic in nature
- Lyrics sound like obsession or fixation on something
- Classical, instrumental or delicate for studying to
- Starts calm and then crescendoes into something maybe a bit manic
- Dark themes in the song lyrics: death, murder, hate, lust, sins, revenge, competition
- Themes of toxic friendship or love
- Giving great gay vibes but it’s obsessive and a bit twisted
- Make you feel like walking by candlelight down echoic stone hallways
My Dark Academia fantasy playlist
This playlist includes songs that are relevant to my stories and get me thinking about my characters and their personalities or their storylines. I will keep adding to this over time and please feel free to have a listen and follow it!
WARNING: Explicit content and language in these. They are dark, after all, and I write adult fantasy.
Artists, songs, and albums that sound dark academia to me
Florence and the Machine’s new album, Everybody Scream:
- One of the Greats
- Witch Dance
- Perfume and Milk (love the title too!)
- The Old Religion
- Drink Deep
- You Can Have It All (my fave of the album)
“Dug a hole in the garden / And buried a scream” – what a line!!
https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0z7l9VEJyFMv8p8wffRDaF?utm_source=generator
Notable titles of Florence’s songs:
- Between Two Lungs
- My Boy Builds Coffins
- Hurricane Drunk
- Ghosts
- Seven Devils
- Remain Nameless
- Bedroom Hymns
- Strangeness and Charm
- Mermaids
- Heaven is Here
- Jenny of Goldstones (Game of Thrones)
- Big God
New favourite artist Earth to Eve songs
- Threat Level Orange (love!)
- No Kings (love!)
- I Lost My Mind
- No Friends Left in L.A.
- Boy’s My Bitch (love!)
- Atheist in Theory
- Sugar Rush
- I Surrender
“I’ve been sipping bleach and washing whites with red wine”
Arcane tv show songs
- Paint the Town Blue
- To Ashes and Blood
- Heavy Is The Crown
- Hellfire
- Cocktail Molotov
- Rebel Heart
- Come Play
- Blood Sweat and Tears
- Playground
- Misfit Toys
- Dynasties and Dystopia
- What Could Have Been
Taylor Swift song titles
- The Fate of Ophelia
- Vigilante Shit
- Father Figure
- Ruin the Friendship (definitely classic dark academia trope!)
- Illicit Affairs
- Mad Woman
- Epiphany
- My Tears Ricochet
- This Is Me Trying
- Cardigan
- End Game
- I Did Something Bad
- Look What You Made Me Do
- This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
- Getaway Car
- Dancing with Our Hands Tied
Billie Eilish song titles
- Bury a Friend (very dark academia)
- My Strange Addiction
- Birds of a Feather
- You Should See Me in a Crown
- Bad Guy
- All the Good Girls Go to Hell
- Wish You Were Gay
- Bittersuite
- Oxytocin
- Everybody Dies
- Halley’s Comet
- Therefore I Am
- Male Fantasy
- What Was I Made For
- Hostage
- & Burn
Hozier
- Arsonist’s Lullabye
- Take Me To Church
- From Eden
- Would That I
- Empire Now
- Wildflower and Barley
- Eat Your Young
- Damage Gets Done
- All Things End
- Son of Nyx
- Butchered Tongue
- Unknown/Nth
- Dinner and Diatribes
- Angel of Small Death and The Codeine Scene
- Sedated
- Foreigner’s God
“Don’t you ever / tame your demon / but keep ‘em on a leash”
Ellie Goulding songs
- Figure 8
- My Blood
- Halcyon
- Dead in the Water
- Atlantis
- Burn
- Under Control
- Hearts Without Chains
- Tessellate
- Ritual
- Midas Touch
“Breathe your smoke into my lungs”
Let me know in the comments if you have any other recommendations!
Sincerely,
S. xx
S. R. Crawford 