Browsing Tag

Synthpop

Magenta Dusk has made his retro synth-wave debut with ‘Give It Up’ featuring Sevda B.

Posted on 17 April 2021

For their retro pop debut, Magenta Dusk teamed up with Sevda B and released the synth-wave track, ‘Give It Up’. It’s exactly the kind of track that you’d want to be born in the wake of a global pandemic. It fits the mood with almost serendipitous accuracy; within the reverb-laced progressions, you’ll feel a sense of deep longing, reflecting and trepidation-infused hope.

The Nottingham-based synth-pop producer who seeks to find harmony within dark textures is sure to make waves with his debut single. He pulled plenty of soul-awakening harmony to the surface with Give It Up while simultaneously creating the perfect platform for Sevda B’s tentatively optimistic vocals that will undoubtedly speak those with a tendency to lean towards existentialism.

Give It Up is available to stream and download via Magenta Dusk’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Party That Surrounds You: Jaguar Jaguar urge us not to panic on the mesmerizing new single ‘Post-Op’

Posted on 11 April 2021

After gaining international success with their previous EP ‘Common Menace Pt.1‘, Jaguar Jaguar return with ‘Post-Op‘, which is taken off their latest five-track offering called ‘Pink Lies‘.

Jaguar Jaguar is the exciting Minneapolis, Minnesota-based dark synthpop/indie rock act with a style that is so unique you will need to listen twice, as they intertwine together such mysterious sounds which mystify your mind to unlock a new level.

This is the story about feeling like an outsider, you are in the party but you can’t seem to get into the proper zone and feel like you are in a different world. You wish that you could change and become someone else, as you think about turning into a new face that will be alive and taken notice of for once. You know not to panic however, as things will change around soon if you break away from this stale energy, that has tied you inside.

The multi-skilled sounds are so gripping and has you impressed by the different layers that are somehow spellbinding and complex – each verse changes up without notice – and twists your mood into a frenzied state of hypnotized enjoyment.

‘Post-Op‘ from Mineapolis three-piece indie rock/synthpop outfit Jaguar Jaguar, leads us into an underground world where so many get lost in, as they reside into their own deep thoughts that can lock you into a different mindset, that can be so different to breakout from. With a unique sound that has you listening so close, they are a fascinating band full of so much promise.

Listen to the new track here on Spotify and check out their IG for more visuals.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Emporers introduce themselves in no uncertain terms with ‘We Are The Emporers’

Posted on 10 April 2021
Emporers

Well, all of a sudden the 1980’s turned up, kicked in the door with a lacy sleeve-cuff and some Adam Ant eyeliner, popped their pixie-booted feet up on the table, and announced their intention to stay with a New Romantic frock-coat thrown firmly onto the back of the sofa. And, with ‘We Are The Emperors’, what an entrance it is; a three-piece electro-pop beaut writ large in gated, reverb-heavy snare beats, chocky guitar, and driving bass.

Drawn together by legendary Killing Joke bassist Martin ‘Youth’ Glover (producer for everyone from Bananarama to Pink Floyd, Edwin Collins, Siousxie and the Banshees, and The Verve), there’s some serious writing skills and musicianship behind the frills and blusher; touches of Pet Shop Boys and Yazoo electronica mixed with Spandau Ballet, Kate Bush, Gary Numan, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and The Human League, but there’s some serious pop sensibilities too – Bananarama, again, Fun Boy Three, Go West, A-Ha, and Duran Duran, for sure. You get the picture – a United Colours of Benetton picture, framed in Black Ash and lit with neon, at the same time bang up to date and spectacular, pop-driven, and absolutely explosive. Make no mistake – there’s a retro-tinged influence here, for sure, but this is no simple regressive homage to the past; it’s cutting edge, stellar, and absolutely right now – with a superb video to match, ‘We Are The Emporers’ is simply a fabulous pop record.

Check out Emporers on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Reese Taylor lends her artful touch to dark pop with her standout single, ‘After the Party’

Posted on 6 April 2021

With such a vast array of artists joining the airwaves, phenomenal releases can be overlooked, such as Californian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Reese Taylor’s 2020 standout single, ‘After the Party’.

At the age of 17-years-old, she not only has the ability to appeal to the human psyche by her eerie, ethereal dark pop melodies, but she can also scathingly berate toxic behaviour that people seem to exhibit without repercussion.

After the Party poignantly attacks hedonists intent on living the high life with little mind to what their behaviour does to people around them. We all know them, the ones desperate for the world to see just how much fun they’re having when anyone with emotional intelligence know they’re trying to fill a gaping hole with superficial pleasure.

There may be a moody edge to Reese Taylor’s take on pop, but she doesn’t hide behind a pretence in the same way that many dark pop artists do. Her sense of vulnerability is still perceptible, but her astute wit dominates the soundscape all the same.

The official video to After the Party is available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LA indie darkwave duo Darkplay have released their latest single ‘Only You’

Posted on 28 March 2021

Ahead of their forthcoming album, LA indie darkwave duo, Darkplay unleashed their entrancingly atmospheric synthpop single, ‘Only You’ which takes the listener on a trip to the murky depths of 80s post-punk while never sacrificing the melodic gravity of the single.

With a similar revivalist nature to bands such as Spector, Darkplay succeeded in teasing nostalgia while putting a brand-new spin of a familiar sound. Each crescendo comes laden in reverb for the ultimate psychotropic effect, and to sweeten the track, the perfect balance of light affability and dark despondency was found. Just imagine what it would sound like if Joy Division and the Human League had an aural lovechild.

Only You can be heard on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Exit Spells bring us a perfect slice of sparse Eighties electropop with ‘Bishops’

Posted on 1 March 2021
Exit Spells

Exit Spells – the brainchild of introspective composers Chris Kennedy and David Cantallo – is a wash of vintage synthesisers and sequencing, drum machines and samples, a batch of TR808 and Moog sounds creating ambient textures and soundscapes behind delicate melodies and breathy, semi-spoken vocals.

It’s old-school in all the right ways, a step back from the ‘four sweaty men standing in a rehearsal room’ band approach, melancholic yet hopeful, introspective yet immediate. There’s a big eighties vibe here, swathes of Ultravox, Visage, or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, the vocals reminiscent of Ure, Foxx, or Oakey, the track sparse and electronic but optimistic and ultimately uplifting.

Exit Spells’ four track EP – from which ‘Bishops’ is taken – is out now; you can also check out Exit Spells on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Lina and the Lions – This Fire: 80s Synthpop with a K-Pop Kick

Posted on 30 January 2021

‘This Fire’ is the first single to be released from the forthcoming debut album ‘Second Nature’ by UK-based artist Lina and the Lions which revives the New Wave 80s Pop sound with a K-Pop kick.

With shimmering glassy synths and melodic hooks, sharp enough to ensure that this entrancing earworm isn’t easily forgotten, fans of 80s Pop and contemporary dark Pop alike are going to encounter a playlist staple when they delve into this amorously visceral and stylistic release.

The instrumentals may be cutting and atmospheric, but Lina Lane’s soulfully effervescent art-pop vocals burst through and demonstrate her ability to make higher pitches resonate with infectiously high-energy soul. It’s hard not to get excited about the potential of Lina and the Lions. They’ll be releasing their album gradually over 2021. Get them on your radar.

This Fire is available to stream via Spotify now. For more information on Lina and the Lions head over to their official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Westerner is set to release their polyphonically enrapturing Indie Synth Pop hit ‘Restless’

Posted on 22 November 2020
Westerner

Indie Synth Pop doesn’t come much more entrancing and anthemic than the forthcoming release ‘Restless’from the LA-hailing trailblazing masters of rhythmic electronica, Westerner.

With lockdown claustrophobia thick in the air, this exuberantly dynamic release perfectly captures the collective frustration as the desperation to live instead of simply exist intensifies. All the while, Restless feeds you euphoria through the deftly crafted sticky-sweet polyphonic progressions which unravel with a kick of psychedelia.

You’ll have to wait a little longer before you can check out Restless for yourselves. In the meantime, head on over to the artist’s Spotify to check out their earlier releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MOTIV – ‘Don’t Let Yourself Down’  

Posted on 14 November 2020
MOTIV

In a world of manufactured angsty alt-rock and generic R&B and trap-based pop-dance, it’s always refreshing when an artist does something different; with this track, MOTIV produces something close to eighties synth-pop – think Pet Shop Boys, Nik Kershaw, or Howard Jones – but with a modern, updated twist.

It’s ridiculously catchy, too. The ‘Don’t Let Yourself Down’ hook of the track’s title squirms its way into your head and refuses to leave for hours after the track has finished. Yet, it perseveres with an almost-ambient set of eighties-style production values – heavy reverb, old-school sequenced and gated drum beats, and a synth melody which mimics the vocal line, all whirling and writhing around that lyrical hook. ‘Don’t Let Yourself Down’ is a perfect slice of danceable, singable pop that’s a beautiful antidote to 2020’s lockdown blues.

Follow MOTIV on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

MASSIVESAD – Re: Builds: A Melancholically Mesmeric Playlist Essential

Posted on 13 October 2020

It’s been a while since a new track literally gave me goosebumps. Yet, the chill crept across me before the first verse hit in MASSIVESAD’s melancholically mesmeric Alt-Indie single “Re: Builds”.

The Floridian artist and songwriter found the perfect balance of smoky, sludgy atmospherics and striking soul in Re: Builds’. The track starts as a melodic and almost Neo-Classic Electronica score before the soundscape gains momentum and starts to offer electrifyingly static aural turbulence. The evolution in the track perfectly captures the feeling of losing control after starting out with poise, grace and good intent.

You can waste your time attempting to pigeonhole each beguiling component in Re: Builds. Or you can simply let the alchemy unfold in this truly pioneering single which doesn’t ostentatiously throw aural futurism in your face. Instead, there’s a real sense that MASSIVESAD through themselves completely into the candid and evocatively transfixing release. And in the process, they created one of the aptest tracks for our dystopic and dark times. 

You can check out Re: Builds for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast