Noclipping into the Backrooms

Leaving reality with liminal music

Some time ago, I went to the cinema to see Backrooms (2026), a psychological horror movie by the young American director Kane Parsons. A mesmerizing film, in my opinion - one that stays with you for quite some time. I was reading some reviews afterwards and fell into this internet rabbit hole. Because what I didn’t know beforehand is that the film is based on the internet phenomenon and creepypasta¹ called The Backrooms. This intrigued me even more.

So, apparently, in 2019, an anonymous person started a thread on the English image-based bulletin board 4chan, asking other users to post disquieting images that just feel “off”, accompanying the thread with a photo (see photo 1). Quickly, this creepypasta went viral and a fandom developed. Somebody replied to the thread by providing both a name and description for this new fictional place:

If you’re not careful and you noclip² out of reality in the wrong areas, you’ll end up in the Backrooms, where it’s nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in

God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you.

photo 1

If you still can’t make heads or tails of this, which I’d completely understand: picture endless empty, abandoned spaces like offices, parking lots or shopping malls. These places fit within the so-called liminal space aesthetic and evoke feelings like nostalgia, unease, and emptiness. The spaces are transitional and can only be accessed by leaving reality.

I was diving even further, now into the liminal space aesthetic and naturally, this led me straight to liminal music - a musical notion defined by feelings of alienation and a hauntological ache for the past. A classic example of liminal music is Everywhere at the End of Time, a 6.5-hour ambient piece by the English musician James Leyland Kirby a.k.a. the Caretaker containing samples of 1920s and 1930s ballroom music. Kirby was, among other things, inspired by the ballroom scene from The Shining (1980). For those who saw this movie, you might recognize the opening track of the album:

For this edition of Sonic Nurse, I’m sharing some of my favourite liminal music pieces. Not too much information; The Backrooms already took up all the space. Just immerse yourself if you’re into or interested in dreamy music that can be both eerie and soothing.

Artwork and music by Tor Lundvall

Tor Lundvall - The Mist
Ambient album from 2001 by the American musician and painter Tor Lundvall. He’s known for his dark imagery and thoughtful, provocative soundscapes. This album is Lundvall’s reaction to springtime and how he perceived life at that time. As the title implies, the atmosphere is rainy and grey.

Jabu - A Soft and Gatherable Star
Third album by the Bristol trio Jabu, released through their own record label do you have peace? in 2024. The sound on this album is very warm and dreamlike. Ethereal beauty with a DIY feeling. Expect ambient, dream pop and influences of r&b with a lot of reverb and delay.

Deliluh - Amulet
Two track EP (2021) by the Canadian band Deliluh. Do check out the rest of their music, because there’s so much more good stuff. This eerie version of Amulet though, could have easily been featured on the Backrooms soundtrack.

BIG|BRAVE - in grief or in hope
Tenth album (2026) from the Canadian experimental doom trio BIG|BRAVE. Uncomfortable yet melodic music soaked in strong emotions. Somewhere between extremity and subtlety. No drums this time, only dense guitars full of overwhelming distortion, bass and the soothing bright voice of Robin Wattie.

1. horror-related made up legend shared around the internet.

2. a slang term used among video gamers to describe a cheat that allows players to pass through impenetrable objects such as walls, ceilings, floors, etc.

There is no “old” music - only music you have already heard and music you haven’t.