COLDWAVE DUO TRAITRS PREVIEW POSSESSOR WITH NEW SINGLE “DREAM DROWNING” + TOUR DATES
BELIEVE
As the release of their fourth studio album, Possessor (March 13th) looms nearer, coldwave duo Traitrs surprise fans with yet another insight into the collection with “Dream Drowning,” available now.
Opening dramatically with sparse, haunting atmospherics, “Dream Drowning” slowly builds before driving synths propel the track forward—a pure example of Traitrs at their best, showcasing the darkwave/gothic synth stylings that have defined their sound. It’s gloomy and dark in the best way possible, wrapped in shadows that feel both suffocating and strangely comforting. The tension builds relentlessly toward the chorus, where full production enters, and the song reaches its devastating peak, with Shawn Tucker’s distinct vocals howling over the noise, creating a sonic landscape that holds you captive in its shadowy embrace.
The track explores the unsettling terrain of someone who exists outside the dreamscape—a meditation on absence and the horror of endless repetition. For Tucker, who has never remembered his dreams, the song examines the alienation of navigating other people’s vivid experiences while remaining on the outside edge of the world, looking in.
“When it comes to dreams, I’m standing on the outside edge of the world looking in,” explains vocalist and guitarist Shawn Tucker. “In my experience, I’ve never remembered my dreams. Instead, I’m left navigating other people’s experiences, stories, and trying to understand how it feels to dream. In Dream Drowning, it’s the horrors of my life set on an endless loop, reoccurring over and over again. I’ve always had a fascination with dreams, trying to understand the emotions attached to them. They feel otherworldly to me. To be honest, I prefer not to remember, it’s how I think my death will be… black.”
The single offers a haunting glimpse into what Tucker describes as “the most personal record I’ve ever written”—an album born from Toronto’s bleakest winter months and the duo’s darkest emotional depths. Written on gloomy days staring out windows as storms raged outside, Possessor prioritised conveying exact moods and emotions, with lyrics playing the most crucial role in capturing that vision.
Written during a period when both Sean Patrick Nolan (synth and sequencing) and Shawn Tucker (guitar and vocals) were navigating profound life changes and depression, Possessor confronts mortality, alienation, and the temporary nature of existence head-on. The album asks difficult questions about what anything means when we’re gone, exploring the sensation of watching everything die and wondering if any of it matters. It’s an album about grief, loneliness, and our intimate, untimely demise—themes that felt impossibly urgent for a duo who concluded they had nothing left to prove to anyone, making the creation of this record a form of therapy and closure.
“There’s a lot of anger, beauty, and sadness on the album,” Traitrs reflects. “I want to feel that someone is holding you when you’re cold, sad, and alone in the dark. The soundtrack to a gloomy-filled, sorrowed love affair. It’s unconditional, unflinching, and unapologetic.”
Recorded between relentless touring schedules at Toronto’s Wychwood Studios with producer Josh Korody (The Beaches, The Dirty Nil, Japandroids, F*cked Up), Possessor captures Traitrs at their most unguarded. The album was mastered by Grammy Award winner Matt Colton, whose recent credits include The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World, alongside work for Arctic Monkeys, Thom Yorke, Depeche Mode, Aphex Twin, and The Rolling Stones.
Drawing influence from The Smiths, The Cure, Interpol, and lesser-known post-punk gems like Asylum Party and The Opposition, Traitrs continue to carry the torch for emotionally devastating yet sonically powerful alternative music. With their cinematic blend of atmospheric soundscapes, anthemic choruses, and uncompromising emotional honesty, Sean Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker have evolved from bedroom artists selling cassette tapes to accumulating millions of streams worldwide and performing hundreds of shows across multiple continents. Possessor stands as their most ambitious statement yet—an album that feels like our planet slowly losing air as we all suffocate without noticing.
“Dream Drowning” will be available on all streaming platforms from 13th February, whilst their album Possessor is hailed for release on Friday, the 13th, March 2026. In celebration of the album release, Traitrs will embark on an extensive tour spanning Europe, the UK, and the USA, including a London date at the 229 Club on March 22.
Tour Dates
March 13 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, Canada
March 14 – Bar Le Ritz – Montreal, Canada
April 14 – Respectable Street – West Palm Beach, USA*
April 15 – Orpheum – Tampa, USA*
April 16 – Ferris Wheelers – Dallas, USA*
April 17 – Paper Tiger – San Antonio, USA*
April 21 – The Crocodile – Seattle, USA^
April 22 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, USA^
April 24 – Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, USA^
April 26 – The Roxy – Los Angeles, USA
April 29 – Swan Dive – Las Vegas, USA^
April 30 – The Marquee Theatre – Phoenix, USA^
May 1 – Ritual Noize Festival – Denver, USA
May 5 – Sleeping Village – Chicago, USA
May 6 – Spellbound Indy – Indianapolis, USA
May 7 – Fixation Small’s – Detroit, USA
May 8 – Ace of Cups – Columbus, USA+
May 9 – Spirit – Pittsburgh, USA+
May 11 – Fallout – Richmond, USA
May 12 – Johnny’s Brenda – Philadelphia, USA
May 13 – Elsewhere – Brooklyn, USA
May 14 – Middle East Upstairs – Boston, USA
May 16 – House of Targ – Ottawa, Canada
Supporting dates for:
She Passed Away*
Lebanon Hanover^
Ultra Sunn+
Artist Links
Background Photo Credit: Daniel Cherney
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