Browsing Tag

80’s synth

NY’s Premier Synth-Driven Rock n Roll Outfit, After the Echo, Found a New Way to Ride the Retrowaves in I Like The Way You Do:

Only Stars by After The Echo

The Brooklyn-based synth-driven rock n roll trio After the Echo laid the reverb-drenched retrowave nostalgia on thick in their latest single, I Like the Way You Do.

There are synth & guitar carved crescendo-esque hooks by the smorgasbord in the single that is authentically 80s enough that it sounds like it could have been prised from your favourite 80s flick soundtrack. While the lyrics portray a portrait of irreplicable passion from the perspective of a far-from-perfect protagonist who feels alienated by the world that surrounds them, the dreamy new wave synths and strident guitar hooks will immerse you in the soundscape so deeply you’ll find yourself torn from the 21st century.

Far from your average love song, the songwriting chops that constructed I Like The Way You Do allow romanticism to ooze from the pores of each instrumental, including the sax lines from Mitch Marcus, the pulls of the violin strings from Michael Hunter, and the massive 80s drum fills as a courtesy of the third featuring artist, Dan Caruso.

Stream and purchase I Like The Way You Do, which features on After the Echo’s LP, Only Stars, via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Reached The Ending: Sydney pop artist Jeffrey Chan feels drowned in disappointment on Over

After recently climbing down from the euphoric and dizzying heights of his previous release, Vertigo, Jeffrey Chan misses that succulent taste on his lips but knows that it is finally Over permanently as a new romantic journey awaits.

Jeffrey Chan is a Sydney, Australia-based pop artist who loves it retro and 80s synth with a sprinkle of inspiration from Eurythmics, Duran Duran and Daft Punk.

At the core of it, Over is a breakup song but it’s that specific moment when you have finally come to terms with the end of a relationship. I wanted to capture that feeling when you’re looking back at everything that happened, both the good and the bad.” ~ Jeffrey Chan leading us into what this top track actually means

With his signature explosive vocals that might heat up your entire room, Jeffrey Chan is in imperious form yet again with another thunderbolt of authenticity from a self-enlightened soul who knew that it was time to close to chapter. Sung with an honest tone and introspective lyrics, he manages to guide us to the truth even if we didn’t want to hear it at first because of the pain attached.

Over from the dynamic Sydney, Australia-based pop artist Jeffrey Chan is a sad song at its core and shows us how quickly a relationship can fracture briskly into the sea of the past. Reminding us of those happy moments that are now meshed with the sudden realisation that it is actually the end. Forever.

Sometimes you need to swim like a Dolphin into another ocean where you can find that healing place to start over again.

Listen up on Spotify and check out the IG music page for more.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Arlo Boe – Eclipsed: One small step for pop, one giant leap for the airwaves.

The Australian up-and-coming pop sensation, Arlo Boe didn’t just go lyrically interstellar with her latest single, Eclipsed. The stratospheric energy resounds just as much through the catchy, spacey 80s synth pop textures, modernised by Boe’s unique futuristic pop vision.

Beyond the spacey intonations, Eclipsed is dedicated to the people who don’t fall into the category of marriage material but are dynamite between the sheets. A bold concept, but with Arlo Boe’s signature cinematic yet casually cool style, it is impossible not to get hooked on the synthy grooves and her vocal dynamism, which asserts her authenticity on the airwaves.

Eclipsed will officially release on August 12th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Take Me Back: Cardiff’s The Vanities cure our souls sadness with ‘London’

Taken off their hungrily-awaited 11-track magnum opus that has had our previously-cold mindsets feeling dragon-like recently on ‘2001‘, the extraordinarily appealing The Vanities help us heal from all preceding sadness with one of most entertaining tracks so far this year on ‘London‘.

The Vanities is a Cardiff, Wales-based 90s grunge and 80s synth/electro-pop/rock-inspired duo who have a real purpose ingrained into their veins that you can hear rumbling assuredly in their creatively-stimulated sound.

Combining a love of 90s grunge & 80s synth-pop, the band were a staple of the burgeoning South Wales music scene at the turn of the millennium, with highlights including a release on cult Cardiff-based label Boobytrap Records, selection for the late Tony Wilson’s influential In The City conference in Manchester, not to forget a bizarre collaboration with 80s icon Tony Hadley.” ~ The Vanities

After sparking our daydreams alive with the sunglasses-packed track that marked their rising above the ashes from hiatus on ‘HOLLYWOOD HILLS (INTERMISSION)‘, they further cement their name as one of the bands to listen to in 2021 with another glorious Gareth Bale-like 89th minute winner against England-type performance here. You can certainly see why BBC Radio Wales have wisely placed the band on their highly-prestigious Welsh A-List recently.

London‘ from fantastic Welsh indie synth-pop/rock act The Vanities plus a few extra friends who joined them on this one, is an imaginative and euphoric experience that is packed with pulsating piano, sexy sax, catchy whistling, travel thoughts, and lots of love for a city that has so much to see. The vocals here gush through your heart like a healing waterfall on a tired body, and this is just truly spectacular. The lovable Welsh duo has produced such pure joy yet again and for that, we truly thank them.

Hear this silky gem on their Bandcamp or Spotify and find out more about the likeable lads on FB.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

They Come Back In The Night: Eutaw drops highly imaginative 80’s synth single ‘Cut You Open’

After starting his music career by making creatively original tunes from the dusty closet, Eutaw shows us cunning evolution with his latest single all about that freaky recurring dream of blood-spilling nightmares with ‘Cut You Open‘.

Isaiah Fluharty aka Eutaw, is an 80’s synth solo artist who is genre-less and also makes music from indie rock to emo rap, as his creative juices only flow tastier throughout time.

It tells the story of a girl who is stuck in a recurring dream where she kills her friends and must cut her hands off as punishment. The perspective is from that of her lover.” ~ Eutaw

His style changes up all the time like a pair of gloves that needs to be changed to keep those hands clean, but somehow the quality remains the same throughout which is ultimately quite remarkable.

With a finger clicking beat and a slicing-the-bones story that would be fit for a horror movie, this is a terrific track that shall have you sharing gleefully with all your spooky-loving mates.

Cut You Open‘ from the outstandingly humble multi-creative solo artist Eutaw, is a highly entertaining track which has been dropped just before fan-favorite Halloween. He sings with a sharp knife-like energy with stupendously gripping vocals that has you looking around – to see if it is indeed real- as you get wholeheartedly immersed in this hand-gripping new single. Your heart might beat a beat faster after this one.

Hear this brand new gem on Spotify and see more from this quality artist via his IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen