Browsing Tag

80s Synth Pop

F/L/P reimagined 80s synthpop in Ride With Ya featuring DAMOYEE 

Posted on 15 October 2022
Norwegian artist F/L/P couldn’t be more of a force to be reckoned with, especially on the basis of his latest single, Ride With Ya, which was written and recorded with the USA artist DAMOYEE over the course of the global lockdowns in bitter-sweet anticipation of the world reopening.
The bass-heavy 80s synth pop track will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Tame Impala or anyone that can resonate with the overarching themes of isolation and separation. The single efficaciously encapsulates how those yearnings for reconnection can keep us going through the fervid passion in the prominently vivid vocals that dominate the lush sweeping synths that are definitively 80s. The sweetest spot hits with the unexpected but appreciated all the same guitar solo, which riffs even more emotion and gravitas into the synthpop earworm that proves romance isn’t dead, it has simply been isolated.
Ride With Ya is now available to stream on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ivar Kangur – Crossing Oceans: an 80s soundtrack to synaesthesia

Posted on 22 September 2022

In one of the most cinematic synthpop scores you could ever hope to immerse yourself within, Crossing Oceans, taken from Ivan Kangur’s 2022 album, Anno Domini, is an 80s soundtrack to synaesthesia.

After taking up classical piano at the age of 14 at the Royal Conservatory of music and working his way through his grades, he discovered his passion for composition, which ultimately saw him joining a new wave band in the 80s and film scoring. His third album, Anno Domini, is a continuation of his love of pop and sonic cinematics; from the first hammer of the analog synth, Crossing Oceans, keeps true to its titular nomination; the strident progressions break borders in the universality of their appeal. Delve right in; the water is lovely.

Crossing Oceans is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dante Beverley lets the good times roll in his latest funk pop earworm The Party Never Dies

Posted on 10 August 2022

After garnering tens of thousands of streams with his feel-good grooves released since his 2019 debut, the euphorically provocative pop sensation, Dante Beverley has declared The Party Never Dies with his latest single.

The 80s-inspired rhythmic riot exhibits a brand-new sonic signature that you’re going to want scribbled across your playlists; it also sets the tone for his forthcoming EP, due for release in early 2023.

The 22-year-old Rotterdam-hailing singer-songwriter takes influence from the likes of Bruno Mars, The Weeknd and Michael Jackson; notably, his inclination to enliven through disco and funk textures led the way in The Party Never Dies. Oscar Wilde would be proud of his revival of 80s synthy hedonistic pop.

The Party Never Dies is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Royal Leisure – Pastries: Get Your Indie Funk Pop Sugar Rush

Posted on 1 August 2022

Connoisseur of melodic indie funk pop hooks, The Royal Leisure has tackled the human tendency of indecision with his latest nostalgically sweet single, Pastries. It will groove you right back to the synth-driven culture of the 80s, only after taking a pitstop in 90s noise rock.

The Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter (AKA Horace Tam), started the project with the inclination to offer a reflection point to listeners looking for a sense of perspective on themselves, the world, and all the connections we make along the way.

One thing is for sure; Pastries is a refreshing reprieve from the contemporary sonic trends. Its playful approach to aural nostalgia and even more affable inclination to drip some colour into your psyche while it forces you to question your tendency to want your cake and eat it won’t fail to stir your soul. The reprise of “this could be the only thing I want” around the endlessly ascending melodies makes for one hell of an oxytocin rush.

Take a bite for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SRRY poured optimism on our contemporary isolation in their latest indie synth-pop hit, Talk the Lonely Away

Posted on 19 April 2022

No track quite captures our contemporary isolated times as succinctly as the single, Talk the Lonely Away, taken from SRRY’s latest double A-side release, Sad But True.

The Phoenix indie synth-pop outfit transcended the contemporary curve with Talk the Lonely Away, which melodically explores the disconnections that have led many of us into a semi-reclusive state.

In a punchy power-pop meets 80s synth-pop fashion, the single optimistically celebrates the last remaining connections and the digital tethers that manage to keep us grounded. If listening to it doesn’t fill you with gratitude for the people in your life, you might want to check your pulse.

Talk the Lonely Away is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Revel in the lovesick euphoria in Analog Beach’s synthpop-meets-indie-rock single, See You Tonight

Posted on 12 March 2022

80s synthpop grooves against angular indie-rock in the NJ-based up-and-coming duo, Analog Beach’s latest convergence of the past and future, See You Tonight. The vocal lines in the chorus easily become the sharpest of hooks, and that’s before you even get to the instrumentals that put white-hot guitar solos against colourful retro synths.

Fans of The Midnight, Wolf Club, and FM-84 will easily make a playlist staple out of this sweet affectionate hit, which doesn’t sugar coat affection. Instead, Analog Beach thrives while narrating just how emotionally crippling infatuation can be. Not all artists succeed in combining reality and romanticism, yet notably, Analog beach is anything but your average artist experimenting with tones and coming up with catchy lyrics. There’s substance by the smorgasbord in this euphorically bright hit that is sure to see the duo go far in 2022 and beyond.

The radio edit of See You Tonight is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Poetry and Electronic Post-Punk Collide in The Ninth Configuration’s Latest Single, Love is a Want of Reason

Posted on 20 November 2021

If artists climbed the charts on the poetic intrigue of their track titles alone, the UK-based outfit, The Ninth Configuration, would never leave the top of the billboard charts with their latest single, Love is a Want of Reason.

Even before you hit play on the track, you’re desperate to hear what introspective gold is nestled inside. Hint, you definitely won’t be disappointed. The dark electronic post-punk single has exactly what it takes to win over Alex Cameron and Jack Ladder fans with the crooned indie post-punk vocals that effortlessly fall into the synthesised pool of relatable melancholia.

The official music video for Love is a Want of Reason is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hope Called in Sick has released their melancholic playlist staple, Lotus.

Posted on 29 October 2021
Hope Called in Sick

Iconic sonic palettes from the 80s and the 90s converge in Hope Called in Sick’s latest single, Lotus; the shimmering synth melodies paired with the layers of accordant shoegazey reverb made it a multi-stop nostalgia hit.

Plenty of contortions have been spun upon the 80s synth sound, but the husband and wife duo, Rob and Monica Schipul, managed to bring brand-new phantasmal energy out of it. Lotus offers a very different brand of ambience; one that reflects our modern malaise and the duo’s Jungian lens through which they see the world.

Check out the latest release from Hope Called in Sick on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The London-based singer-songwriter Lilo has released her hypnotic hyper-synth-pop single, Everything I Ever Dreamed of.

Posted on 22 October 2021

London-based singer-songwriter, Lilo, is set to release her 80s synthpop anthem, Everything I Ever Dreamed Of, which brings hyper pop energy, sweet ABBA-Esque piano chords and artful vocal timbre that allows you to imagine how Florence and the Machine would have turned out as an 80s synth-pop outfit.

Under the lush layers of reverb, the dancey beats boast a hypnotic texture, making Everything I Ever Dreamed of the perfect multi-functional indie pop playlist staple.

I’ve heard my fair share of contemporary twists on the 80s sound in the last year; it is safe to say that none left me as enlivened by the ingenuity as Everything I Ever Dreamed of which is due for official release on October 22nd, 2021.

Check out Lilo on her official website, Instagram and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Endless Wires made his stridently electrifying synthwave debut with ‘Accept to Enter’ featuring Kabelle.

Posted on 25 April 2021

UK-based multi-instrumentalist and producer, Endless Wires (Tom Evans) established themselves as one to watch in the Vaporwave scene with the release of his arresting debut single, Accept to Enter, featuring vocals from Kabelle.

With vocals that will take you right back to the 90s and remind you of the forcefully resounding timbre of Cher, Whitney Houston and Madonna falling into the synthwave reverb-laced soundscape that kicks off with moody synth notes and transgresses into a stridently electrifying aural experience, it is an entrancing and evocative ride from the start. The addition of the classic rock guitar solos in the tense build-up to the highest crescendo was undoubtedly the cherry on the cake.

Accept to Enter is available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast