Browsing Tag

Synth Rock

LJ Pheonix & The Renegades – In Time: Seductively Entropic Synth-Rock

Posted on 9 April 2023
LJ Pheonix & The Renegades

With dark and sinister synths that are as harbingering as the ones in the Slumber Party Massacre soundtrack, the intro to the latest gothy synth-rock single, In Time, from LJ Pheonix & The Renegades, reeled us in hook, line, and spacey sinker.

The 80s-reminiscent post-punk croons crawl into the mix as a scintillatingly soulful rapture as they boast all the atmosphere of Echo and the Bunnymen and the Psychedelic Furs. As the single progresses, interstellar psychedelia starts to amass amongst the dark tones constructed by the wailing guitars and stabbing synth lines to absorbingly disconcerting aphrodisiacal effect.

If the rest of the debut LP, Atlantis, is as warped in entropic sex appeal as In Time, the new up-and-coming UK powerhouse will easily seal their infamous fate.

In Time will release on all major platforms on April 9. Check it out via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Bella Moulden soaked synth wave with soul in her latest single, Wire

Posted on 11 March 2023

The moody stabbing synth lines and caustic rock guitar cuts create an intoxicating contrast to Bella Moulden’s soul-soaked vocal lines in her ode to 80s synth wave, Wire.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist may have achieved viral acclaim via TikTok with her earlier release, SelfCare, but if any artist has what it takes to create a sustainable career with her juxtaposingly absorbing creativity, it is Bella Moulden.

The Buffalo, NY-born artist has already received plaudits from everyone from Peaches to The Black Keys to Juliette Lewis; her latest single will undoubtedly garner her even more acclaim for the way her sultrily sincere vocal timbre wraps around the lyricism that alludes to the hesitancy that gnaws away at the nectar of the honeymoon phase in a relationship.

Stream Wire on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

New Wave Indie Came Crashing in Through the 80s Cinematic Atmosphere in LUXTHEREAL’s Latest Single, She Said

Posted on 6 February 2023

The unforgettable Phoenix, Arizona alt-rock outfit, LUXTHEREAL, is on cuttingly sharp new wave form once again with their latest single, She Said. Any fans of Psychedelic Furs and Echo and the Bunnymen will undoubtedly want to add the nostalgic-for-the-80s amalgam of new wave, power pop and art-rock to their playlists.

The soaring vocals add an ardent edge to the sample-driven music universe orchestrated by LUXTHEREAL to abstract us from our own existence defined by our mortal coil and existential dread. With guitars as atmospheric as the ones that ring across Lips Like Sugar between the riffs and guitar hooks that carry as much emotion as the strident vocal lines, She Said is aural escapism at its finest.

She Said was officially released on January 27th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LUCID LIP unveiled their end of the beginning smoky alt-rock odyssey ‘Room to Grow’

Posted on 1 January 2023

We couldn’t get enough of LUCID LIP’s soulfully seminal single, Who Would Notice? Hearing they are back on era and genre-amalgamating form in their single, Room to Grow, was a rare reason for exhilaration in the age they lament in this timely, smoky, synth-driven hit.

Horror films have made us accustomed to the odd ghosts dotted around a creepy building. The NYC outfit explored the infinitely more tangible phenomenon of nothing being left in our sightline but phantasms of everything and everyone that has given up the ghost in “the end of the beginning”.

It is as isolated and lonely as Bowie’s Space Oddity. But the feeling of estranged detachment needn’t be miles from the earth’s surface when life on earth has almost turned into a paranormal investigation as we look back on everything that these torrid times have torn away from us.

Still pertaining to some of the beauty of the world that we seem hell-bent to obliterate as the bombs drop, the forests burn, and tensions run high, the humanistically pure single becomes infinitely more evocative.

For anyone who finds it hard to express their deep, dark sadness for the collective state of the world. Or anyone with no one left to confide these complex feelings in, Room to Grow is an essential hit that is sure to inspire a few cathartic tears. I know I shed a few.

Room to Grow will officially release on January 1st. You won’t want to miss it. Stream it on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

Follow LUCID LIP on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Templemind reached the pinnacle of life-affirming alt-rock anthems with, More to This Life

Posted on 29 November 2022

I don’t make a habit of head-banging alone at home but I’m only human, and when Templemind’s latest single, More to This Life, flooded the room with visceral energy and hooky guitar riffs, getting caught up in the cathartic momentum was non-optional. The meditative yet rhythmically arresting propensities of the monolithic alt-rock track started to make a little more sense upon learning the single was tuned to 432Hz, which is proven to lower heart rates and heightens perception.

Starting with a disconcerted scratchy prelude that threw me right back to my teen days obsessing over Linkin Park’s raw introspection and catapulting into an alt-rock soundscape which raises the vibe with funky angular guitar chops around the massive synth lines and grittier tones, More to This Life is a life-affirming lesson in vindication.

I’m going to throw professionalism out of the window and confess to fucking ADORING Templemind. Although I guess I’m not alone. After his 2022 debut, the mastermind behind the project, Philipp Schardt, amassed over 500,000 streams.

More to This Life is now available to Stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Martin Paul Cuthew made hope permissible in his synthy pop-rock soul-stirrer, The Machine

Posted on 16 November 2022

Following a dark Nine Inch Nails-Esque prelude that reflects the drudgery of the late-stage capitalist hellscape we call modern society, the bright and rich melodicism in Martin Paul Cuthew’s latest single, The Machine, starts to break through the soundscape like sunlight piercing a storm cloud.

The switch in the guitar and synth tones are effortlessly matched by the luminously humanist soul projected through the lyrics and optimism-inspiring vocals, which spoke to me on a level that normally only James Dean Bradfield reaches.

The UK-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is the ultimate testament that awareness doesn’t have to be synonymous with pessimism. His vibrant expositions on love, hope and longing which complement his soul-stirring pop-rock proclivities effortlessly guide you to a perception that makes hope permissible. Take that Nietzsche.

The Machine is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The alt-rock nomad, Charlson, moved into darker synth rock territory with his single, Night Sounds IV

Posted on 14 October 2022

Alt-rock nomad Charlson bravely extended his synth-dripping single, Night Sounds IV, across an epic 7-minute duration. While that track length may make Gen Z recoil in fear, this 00s indie-loving millennial was absorbed by every dark synth-dripping progression.

With a similar vibe to Johnny Marr’s debut album, Night Sounds IV from the independent artist’s forthcoming album, Night Sounds. It’s an energetic introduction to Charlon’s new venture into indie rock territory. One which pays a nuanced ode to Poison Ivy’s decadence and the Generation Terrorists era of the Manic Street Preachers in the crunchy guitars in the second segment of the enduring cry in the dark before it breaks into an orchestral laced outro.

The high energy of the release that comes complete with synthy blues motifs is an apt sonic reflection of those feelings that plague us when our heads hit the pillow. It certainly won’t help you sleep, but it’s a gregarious extension of solidarity for anyone with haunted self-awareness. Jack Kerouac’s quote of ‘the only people for me are the mad ones’ certainly springs to mind.

Night Sounds is due for release on October 14th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fearless Liars bring the groove in their alt-electro-rock promise of perpetuity, Always

Posted on 22 September 2022

Electro alt-rock provocateurs, Fearless Liars have remained a firm fixture of the Denver music scene since 1999. With their 2021 self-titled debut album, their groove-led guitar music gave international aficionados of experimentalism something to sink their melody-loving teeth into.

Retaining their alt-90s sound, the standout single, Always, made a playful promise of perpetuity through the rolling basslines, funk-chopped guitars and analogue synths that will be a hit with any Bis fans. Fearless Liars may not sound like a loveable outfit but after just one hit of Always, we’re obsessed with their enigmatic energy, which makes it easy to see why the independent DIY outfit has never fallen short of adoration in their long-spanning career.

Check out Fearless Liars on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tommy Trull – Citizen Freak: The Only Synth Rock Breakup Track You Will Need on Your Playlists

Posted on 25 August 2022
Nobody Else in the World by Tommy Trull

With guitars that wouldn’t be out of place in The Cure’s earlier records, rock n roll synthetics oozing from the synths and the funk-chopped basslines, Tommy Trull’s standout single, Citizen Freak, from his sophomore album, Nobody Else in the World, gorgeously drips with unapologetic autonomy.

The North Carolina-hailing multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter is known to hop between genres. With his second album, he paid a genre-fluid ode to the transformations we undergo when separations force our hands into parting ways with co-creators of our worlds that weren’t cut out for perpetuity.

Expression runs at the core of Citizen Freak; the experimental alchemy unfolds as refreshingly as Bowie’s did in his funk pop prime (that will sound hyperbolic until you delve in yourselves).

Citizen Freak is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AURASHADE has made his emotionally enveloping indie synthpop debut with the single Circles

Posted on 8 July 2022

AURASHADE is the new project of singer-songwriter Timothy Hoad, who has recently moved away from his acoustic roots to embrace a more synthesised sound with grittier electric guitar tones. His debut single, Circles, more than reflects his 20 years of experience as a songwriter. You just can’t help but succumb to the evocative power as AURASHADE forces you to question your relationship with your autonomy through clever vocal effect layering over the synthy heartbeat of the single.

Clearly, on the basis of the compassionately deep lyricism, the up-and-coming artist is leading by example in terms of self-awareness. Rarely does electronica so full of soul and substance surface on the airwaves. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

AURASHADE’s debut single is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast