SALEM (US‐based electronic group)

Salem (sometimes stylized as S4LEM or SALEM) is an American electronic music band from Traverse City, Michigan. It was founded by Heather Marlatt, Jack Donoghue and John Holland. Salem is considered one of the pioneers of the witch house genre. Salem released its debut album King Night in 2010. In 2020, the group released a mixtape, Stay Down, followed by their second album, Fires in Heaven, both without Marlatt, who is disputing her ouster. While John Holland was living in Chicago, he met Jack Donoghue. Salem officially formed in 2006 after he simultaneously struck up a friendship with Donoghue and his friend since his time in school, Heather Marlatt, ended up moving in with him. The trio began working on music in Holland's home studio. The band's first two releases are the EP's Yes I Smoke Crack and Water, both released in 2008. Salem released the debut studio album, King Night, in 2010. It was included on the year-end lists by AllMusic, DIY, NME, The Quietus, and Stereogum. The band's infamous March 18, 2010, performance at South by Southwest at the Fader Fort received widespread negative reviews from music critics and saw the band booed off the stage. In 2020, Steven Hyden wrote for Uproxx that it was "one of the worst and least competent musical performances by a supposedly professional act to happen in the early 21st century." Salem had been inactive since 2012, with no new releases since their 2011 EP I'm Still in the Night. In 2016, a new Salem album was announced by photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, who confirmed the news on his Instagram account. In that year, Salem officially returned with a remix of Tillmans' song "Make It Up as You Go Along", which was included on his Device Control EP. However, the band was not fully revived until May 2020 where Salem premiered a new mixtape titled Stay Down, which was presented on NTS Radio. This reboot of the band happened without member Heather Marlatt, who gave a negative public comment about the situation stating she was kicked out. Salem released their first single in nearly a decade "Starfall" on September 18, 2020, via Mad Decent's Decent Distribution. The music video follows the band's trip with veteran storm trackers through Tulsa, Oklahoma and Dallas as well as through Texas during tornado season. It was directed by Donoghue and Holland along Tommy Malekoff. In a press release, it was stated that the song was "a signal of additional work to come". On October 16, a new single called "Red River" was unveiled alongside the pre-order availability of the new album. Their second album, Fires in Heaven, was released on October 30, 2020, ten years after their debut. On November 10, 2022, Salem performed a surprise DJ set for the opening party of clothing brand Supreme's flagship store in Chicago, Illinois, marking the band's first performance in over 10 years. On July 28, 2023, Salem performed their first solo live set in 12 years. The show took place at El Dorado Bumper Cars in Coney Island, New York City, tickets for which sold out within minutes after going live online.[citation needed] On June 7, 2025, Salem performed at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, Spain. On May 14, 2026, Salem collaborated a second time with Supreme, releasing a collection with the brand. On the same day, the band surprise released a compilation album titled Red Dragon, with many of its tracks consisting of B-sides and unreleased material spanning since the group's early days, with 4 new tracks amongst them. According to Heather Phares of AllMusic, Salem's sound blends ethereal electronica and slow Southern hip hop rhythms, and is noted for pioneering the music subgenre known as witch house. Current Jack Donoghue - drum machine, rapping vocals, occasional guitar (2006–present) John Holland - keyboards, guitar, vocals (2006–present) Former Heather Marlatt - vocals, keyboards (2006–2020) King Night (2010) Fires in Heaven (2020) Yes I Smoke Crack (2008) Water (2008) I'm Still in the Night (2011) Red Dragon (2026) XXJFG (2009) We Make It Good (2009) Raver Stay Wif Me (2010) I Buried My Heart Inna Wounded Knee (2010) Sleep Now My One Little Eye (2010) 5Min2Live: Gurn Baby Gurn (2010) Bow Down (2011) On Again / Off Again (2011) Mother Always (2011) Stay Down (2020)[non-primary source needed] "OhK" (2009) "Babydaddy" / "S.A.W." (2009) (split with Tanlines) "Frost" / "Legend" (2009) "Asia" (2010) "Starfall" (2020) "Red River" (2020) Shlohmo - "Chore Boy" (feat. SALEM) (2025) (feature) Gucci Mane – "Bird Flu (Salem Remix)" (2009) Gucci Mane – "Round One (Salem Remix)" (2009) Playboy Tre – "Sideways (Salem Drag Chop Remix) from ATL RMX (2009) Gucci Mane – "My Shadow (Salem Remix)" (2010) Health – "In Violet (Salem RMX)" from Health::Disco2 (2010) HIM – "In the Arms of Rain (Salem Remix)" from SWRMXS (2010) These New Puritans – "Hologram (Salem Remix)" from Hidden Remixes (2010) Blonde Redhead – "Penny Sparkle (Salem Remix)" (2011) Britney Spears – "Till the World Ends (Salem Remix)" (2011) Charli XCX – "Stay Away (Salem's Angel Remix)" (2011) Interpol – "Try It On (Salem RMX)" (2011) Light Asylum – "Shallow Tears (Like a Storm) (Salem Remix)" (2011) The Cult – "Elemental Light (Salem Remix)" (2012) Wolfgang Tillmans – "Make It Up as You Go Along (Salem Remix)" from Device Control (2016) Bladee & Mechatok - "Grace (Salem Remix)" (2021) Lil B – "Slangin Yayo" from Red Flame: Evil Edition (2010) Kanye West — "Black Skinhead" from Yeezus (2013) Yung Lean – "All the things" from Stardust (2022) Eede, Christian (August 3, 2016). "Will Witch House Make A Comeback?". The Quietus. Retrieved February 10, 2020. Chandler, Rachel (2011). "Salem – F/W 2011 Issue 16". Purple. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2020. Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (September 1, 2011). "Salem". Interview. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020. Noah Yoo (October 16, 2020). "SALEM Announce New Album Fires in Heaven, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020. Heather, Marlatt. "Instagram post". Controversy. Heather Marie Marlatt. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2020. John Holland Interview by Michael Bullock Archived August 4, 2024, at the Wayback Machine December 2008, Butt Magazine "Salem: Strung Out". May 7, 2009. Archived from the original on March 27, 2025. Retrieved November 21, 2024. "King Night by Salem". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2020. "AllMusic's Favorite Albums of 2010". AllMusic. January 4, 2011. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2020. "DIY Albums Of The Year: The Winner Is..." DIY. December 17, 2010. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2020. "50 Best Albums Of 2010". NME. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020. Turner, Luke (December 10, 2010). "Angst Music For Sex People: Quietus Albums Of The Year 2010 & Spotify Playlist". The Quietus. Retrieved February 10, 2020. "Stereogum's Top 50 Albums Of 2010". Stereogum. December 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020. "Japandroids, Harlem, Salem (before they were booed) & others @ the Fader Fort (SXSW 2010) - pics & video". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2024. Friedlander, Emilie (November 5, 2020). "The Complicated Appeal of Salem, a Band that Makes Feeling Awful Sound Great". VICE. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024. "Let's Remember The 10th Anniversary Of The Worst Musical Performance at SXSW Ever". UPROXX. March 6, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024. Welsh, April Clare (August 3, 2016). "Salem to bring back witch house with first album in six years". Fact. Archived