Diogenes Records

Psychobilly is a high-octane fusion of 1950s rockabilly and late‑1970s punk rock, spiked with horror, sci‑fi, and B‑movie aesthetics. It is defined by twangy, reverb‑drenched guitars, an aggressively slapped upright (double) bass, and breakneck drums that push songs toward punk tempos. The style’s sound balances the swing and I‑IV‑V DNA of rockabilly with punk’s distortion, attitude, and shout‑along choruses. Lyrics typically revel in campy macabre imagery—monsters, hot rods, graveyards, radioactive romance—delivered with a snarling, tongue‑in‑cheek theatricality. Onstage, pompadours, quiffs, tattoos, coffin imagery, and the signature “wrecking” pit-dance complete a subcultural identity that is both retro and transgressive. While rooted in the United Kingdom scene of the early 1980s, psychobilly rapidly spread across Europe and the United States, cultivating a global circuit of dedicated bands, labels, and festivals.

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll, fusing the twang and storytelling of Southern country ("hillbilly") with the driving backbeat and boogie of rhythm & blues and jump blues. It is marked by slap‑back echo on vocals and guitar, slapping upright bass, twangy hollow‑body electrics, and energetic, danceable grooves. The classic rockabilly sound emerged from mid‑1950s Memphis studios such as Sun Records, where minimal drum kits (or none at all) mixed with percussive bass and bright, overdriven guitars. Songs are typically short, hooky, and built on 12‑bar blues or simple I–IV–V progressions, with lyrics about love, cars, dancing, and youthful rebellion.

Swamp rock is a gritty, rootsy form of rock that evokes the humid atmosphere of the U.S. Gulf Coast. It blends the loping rhythms and minor-key moods of Louisiana swamp blues with rock and roll drive, country earthiness, and New Orleans R&B grooves. Characterized by tremolo‑soaked electric guitars, thick reverb, hypnotic mid‑tempo grooves, and warm Hammond organ or piano, the style favors simple, blues-based progressions and storytelling lyrics. Songs often reference bayous, backroads, voodoo lore, and the heat and haze of Southern life, creating a sound that feels both murky and magnetic.

Alternative is an umbrella term for non-mainstream popular music that grew out of independent and college-radio scenes. It emphasizes artistic autonomy, eclectic influences, and a willingness to subvert commercial formulas. Sonically, alternative often blends the raw immediacy of punk with the mood and texture of post-punk and new wave, adding elements from folk, noise, garage, and experimental rock. While guitars, bass, and drums are typical, production ranges from lo-fi to stadium-ready, and lyrics tend toward introspection, social critique, or surreal storytelling. Over time, “alternative” became both a cultural stance and a market category, spawning numerous substyles (alternative rock, alternative hip hop, alternative pop, etc.) and moving from underground circuits to mainstream prominence in the 1990s.

Gothabilly is a dark, retro-leaning fusion of gothic rock’s atmosphere and imagery with the twangy drive of rockabilly and the raw energy of psychobilly. It typically features slapback-echo guitars, walking or slap upright bass, shuffling or train-beat drums, and crooning baritone or snarling punk-influenced vocals. Lyrical themes draw on horror cinema, graveyard romance, pulp occultism, and campy B‑movie aesthetics, delivered with a mix of tongue‑in‑cheek humor and macabre melodrama. Musically, gothabilly balances minor‑key progressions and chromatic riffs against classic rock ’n’ roll forms, often adding reverb‑drenched tremolo picking, haunted organ or theremin flourishes, and a theatrical, midnight‑movie vibe.