Have I ever met someone of the goth persuasion? Sure. Could I pick a goth kid out of a lineup? Probably.

Do I know what a goth actually is? No fucking clue.

Goth is one of these frustratingly murky terms that worms its way into the zeitgeist, but after years of existing and permeating the sub-culture fails to satisfactorily define itself to the rest of the world. Goths aren't like punks - they may have the uniform down, but as far as a game plan goes, they are woefully lacking.

So what, then, is goth music? I know it exists. I can picture its morose, black-clad clientele, but I can't imagine its music. Dark, I guess? But there are plenty of dark bands that we wouldn't characterize as goth bands. Radiohead, for example.

Maybe, like many of the hazy subgenres that have been popping up in recent years, it all comes down to personal perception. What is Arcade Fire to you? In the end, I guess it's just rock ‘n' roll. But when you listen to it, it feels like so much more. It feels like it needs a category.

Perhaps that is what C'est La Mort is to the goth community. Though they never claim to be a goth band, they have been featured in a book about the subject, Music to Die For.

Rather, C'est La Mort make a kind of music that is beholden to the ‘80s and ‘90s underground - incorporating elements of the dark pop and shoegazer trends of the time.

Guitarist Geoff Cox offers insight into the nature of goth: "A lot of the bands that are really close to the goth heart aren't really goth at all," says Cox. "They've been embraced after the time."

As I've found while writing this article, the more you say "goth," the less it means. Take C'est La Mort for what you will. Regardless of perfunctory categorization, their haunting melodies simply remain beautiful for their darkness. It's a shade that needs to be nurtured as much as any.

C'est La Mort

With Little Penguins, A Leaf, and Blanco Bronco
Friday, June 4, 9 p.m., cover TBA,
The New Frontier Lounge
301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020