Browsing Tag

80’s Pop

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

Super Love showed us the light side of ‘The Moon’ in their latest 80s-inspired polyphonic alt-pop single.

Posted on 15 April 2022

Here with another slice of polyphonic 80s alt-pop nostalgia is the indie power couple Super Love; their synergy and chemistry more than translated in ‘The Moon’.

Oscar Wilde may have created the old gutters and stars adage, but why get your interstellar bliss from anyone else but someone already living it? Metaphorically speaking, of course, but you get the gist.

Despite the instrumental minimalism, The Moon is radiant under the polyphonic keys, the low and almost dreamy basslines and vocals that effortlessly exude a Blondie-level of cool while wrestling with sticky-sweet lyricism.

The Moon will officially release on April 15th; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SAL delivered a ‘Bullet in the Heart’ in her latest retro pop earworm

Posted on 13 April 2022

It was only a few days ago that Amanda Palmer’s tweet “all I can handle right now is Enya” deservedly went viral; the up-and-coming artist, SAL may just be an exception to that rule with her latest 80s-inspired pop earworm, Bullet in the Heart.

The smooth release is as heavy on the nostalgia as it is on the soul as it moves through the retro synth chord progressions and endlessly cathartic melodies which fuse with SAL’s sweeter than honey vocal timbre that brings a vibrant and vital sense of warmth to Bullet in the Heart. The indie RnB pop nuances also bring yet another intimately hypnotic element to the single that deserves to be on every radio station’s A-list.

Bullet in the Heart officially launched on April 8th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

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

New Sense released the ultimate funk-soaked synth-pop nostalgia hit with ‘Lavender Tea.

Posted on 8 November 2021

‘Lavender Tea’ is the latest indie synth-pop nostalgia hit from the experimental Bay Area solo artist New Sense (Ethan Brown). The funk-soaked ode to the 80s takes influence from icons, Earth Wind and Fire, Tame Impala and Still Woozy; New Sense also wears his MJ influences on his sonic sleeve in the high-energy track that is infectious from the first hit.

There is plenty of authenticity in Lavender Tea to quench your thirst for fresh funk; we can’t wait to hear what New Sense serves next.

Lavender Tea is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

San Gabriel brings panache to 80s indie-pop through his latest single, Tape Machine.

Posted on 27 October 2021

It was impossible to forget San Gabriel after hearing the luscious guitar tones in his debut single, Another One. Based on his third single, Tape Machine, it’s safe to say that he’s found his signature sound by mixing shimmering shoegaze guitars with 80s dance-pop beats that bring the energy while his angular guitar notes add absorbing layers to his instantly enamouring aural eclecticism.

Listening to Tape Machine instantly becomes a subjective experience as you’re enraptured by the sheer innovation and the magnetically warm vocal timbre that practically bathes you in soul. Despite the striking authenticity in his sound, it’s all too easy to succumb to efficacious hooks in the high vibe poppy hit that masterfully stands leagues apart from other indie newcomers in 2021. If you’re as tired as I am of indie assimilators, you won’t regret hitting play.

Tape Machine is now available to stream on Spotify.

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

 

Indie folk-pop duo The Graes have released their 80s-inspired earworm Figure it Out.

Posted on 10 October 2021

If you can’t get enough hits of nostalgia recently, hit play on The Graes 80s pop-rock banger, Figure it Out. If Boyz II Men made their debut in the contemporary indie-pop era, we’re fairly convinced their tracks would unravel as eclectically and harmonically as Figure it Out.

With sticky-sweet lyrics such as “I know we’ve got issues, but I like them too”, The husband and wife folk-pop duo brought realism into the romantic narrative without ever bursting the affectionate bubble. At this point, we shouldn’t need to tell you that the single comes charged with commercial and earworm potential. If any song is going to convince you to accept your other half’s idiosyncrasies, it’s this infectiously honest release.

Figure it Out officially released on 22nd October 2021; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jack Wakeman & The Dreamstriders have cosmically revived 80s pop with ‘Visions’.

Posted on 27 August 2021
Jack Wakeman & The Dreamstriders

Glasgow-based alt-rock artist Jack Wakeman & The Dreamstriders are set to release their 80s-inspired track, Visions, which starts with growling post-punk basslines around glassy synths before evolving into a sonic mash-up of psych, synth pop and indie.

The kooky, hooky choruses pull you into an atmospheric soundscape that practically imparts neon strip light synaesthesia as the up-vibe grooves bring the energy and Wakeman’s vocals spill Bowie-level magnetism.

On the basis of Visions, Wakeman was discernibly influenced by the iconic Manchester sound after he relocated from Doncaster and worked as a bassist for members of New Order and the Fall. In 2020, he relocated to Glasgow and started to assemble an outfit that allowed collaborative chemistry to spill to the tune of his signature ‘apocalyptic optimism’.

Visions will be available to stream from August 27th; you can check it out for yourselves on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Break free with Melo Bermon’s electropop hit, ‘REPLACEABLE’.

Posted on 30 July 2021
https://soundcloud.com/melo-bermon/replaceable/s-iKk7qN5FKg3

Texas-hailing artist Melo Bermon has released his latest electropop hit, REPLACEABLE, which puts to bed the gaslit myth that manipulators are irreplicable. Regardless of their grandiosity, they’re ten a penny. If you need any further convincing, hit play.

With a similar electrifying sonic palette to the Weeknd, Bermon’s synthy vindicating hit was made to break free too. REPLACEABLE throws back to the 80s while keeping in line with the contemporary indie synth-pop trend; with his sticky-sweet vocal sensibilities, Bermon has exactly what it takes to overtake the Midnight in the charts.

REPLACEABLE is due for release on July 23rd; you can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast