“Sparks” by Faith and the Muse

Prior to forming Faith and the Muse in 1993, Monica Richards and William Faith were already veterans of the goth and post-punk scenes; Richards was formerly the lead singer of Washington D.C.’s Strange Boutique while Faith had performed with Shadow Project, Christian Death, and Mephisto Walz. But when Faith and the Muse released their debut album, Elyria, in 1994 on Tess Records, its blend of searing post-punk, traditional folk, and stirring neoclassical arrangements established them as goth rock icons in their own right.

“Sparks” is the album’s finest post-punk moment, but Joy Division this most certainly is not — not with Richards’ dramatic vocals and Faith’s roiling guitars. And definitely not with lyrics like “How carelessly the bound daylight caresses/Oblivious to wandering eyes extinguished” or “Fears that creep about my flame/Evanesce until the dawn calls them home again/Bearing thoughts of you.” It’s swirling and angst-ridden and melodramatic in all the best ways, and I have no doubt that it sent many a goth kid swaying to and fro out there on the smoke-enshrouded dance floor back in the day.

Elyria has been reissued several times since 1994, including a 2022 limited edition vinyl release by Greece’s Circle Music. But earlier this year, Faith remastered the album while Richards contributed new artwork. The 2026 Elyria remaster/reissue will be released on October 9, 2026 by Metropolis Records as a CD digipak only. It will not released digitally. Faith and the Muse have also announced similar reissues of their second and third albums — 1995’s Anwyn, Beneath The Waves and 1999’s Evidence of Heaven — for early 2027.