In comments, Eldritch and I were discussing why some bands seem reluctant to call themselves "goth" even though they seem to have that style.
Eldritch gave the example of Dr Arthur Krause who said "Some people call it goth and we are fine with that."
I note that the TRAITRS song I just posted sounds a lot like early Cure, but their bandcamp page labels it as "punk / coldwave / post-punk".
Is that kinda thing common? If so why?
Look Siouxsie straight in the eye and tell her why.
Tons of bands are like this, and it isn't just with the "goth" label. I think that artists hate to pigeonhole themselves, because it makes them feel derivative.
Well, I think it's a little different with punk and metal, bc a band is more likely to want to call themselves punk or metal. Now someone may disagree that they are in fact punk. And they may disagree that the band is a certain kind of metal. But the band itself won't be as reluctant to identify as such.
...I think? I dunno I'm not an expert.