“Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds” is what it sounds like, but it’s really about what’s next for all of us.

Track: “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds”
Album: Goths (2017)

When I first heard “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds,” I assumed it was a fake name and a character. The urge to pretend here is strong, but I don’t know a single thing about this world. I’m sure Goths hits differently for people who are fans of this style of music, but you do not need to know a single damn thing for this to work. Andrew Eldritch was in The Sisters of Mercy, a band that curiously seems to be rather insistent that they are not goth. I absolutely am not the right person to pull on this thread, but it’s a curious note for a title character on Goths.

Whether you know anything about this world or not, “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds” is a towering lyrical achievement and probably the best song on Goths. John Darnielle sings seven full verses (depending on how you break it up and what you consider part of the chorus, but this is not really the point) all full of detail. We get a full picture not so much of Eldritch, but of the act of coming back home and accepting a change in life. I feel this is one of Darnielle’s absolute best works, especially the verses about kids leaving for the big city and finding that “everybody tests the membrane // but no one pushes through.”