Primarily an extension of alternative/independent rock, Sadcore is slow, fragile and gut-wrenching music. Themes of heartbreak, loss, and misery dominate the lyrics, and the music itself is resolutely downbeat – the acoustic guitars that once defined '70s-era singer/songwriters certainly resurface here, but much of the music is far more dissonant and intense, conjuring much darker atmospheres and textures. Sadcore bands like American Music Club, Carissa's Wierd, and Red House Painters channel their pain and suffering into music that is hauntingly beautiful – the perfect soundtrack for solitary late-night listening.