Browsing Tag

Synth Pop

Realer started the simulation with his bass-driven retro wave hit, Turn Me On Again

Posted on 22 June 2023
Turn Me on Again by Realer

The Scottish bassist turned one-man powerhouse Realer started the 80s synth pop simulation in his latest single, Turn Me on Again, which cuts right to the core of our contemporary proclivity to lose ourselves in the dopamine of our favoured procrastination-inspiring time vacuums.

Ingeniously, the reprise of Turn Me on Again can be taken as plugging into the digital domains that are becoming all-consuming, and with the funky 80s pop synthetics at play, it can similarly be deciphered as a cry into the void for a shot of visceralism derived from the real world. It is so easy to tell people to go out and touch grass, but when everyone is too addicted to their phones to venture out and experience verdant pleasures, it’s easier said than done to find connection away from the fake fray of online mediocrity.

Bass solos may not get the rep they deserve in the mainstream consensus, but if anyone has what it takes to advocate for them, it is Realer, with his trailblazing technical rhythms, which disrupt the sticky sweet synths, and are enough to make the most euphoric hits from the Human League sound positively melancholic.

Turn Me on Again is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IORA – Nylon: Synthesised in Catharsis Indie Electro-Pop

Posted on 13 June 2023

Ahead of her performance at Glastonbury, the indie electro-pop sensation IORA debuted her latest slice of synthy candour, Nylon, on June 7th.

Using her imploringly rich vocals that practically effervesce with distinction to allude to the torment of being trapped between two opposing forces while the upbeat instrumentals allow the track to surge with oscillating energy, conflicting emotions are part and parcel of delving into Nylon.

But by the single reaches its synthesised in catharsis outro, you will be left with the affirmation that few artists are adept in sonically visualising their torment and portraying it as universally resonant aural gold. Someone hand her a Mercury Prize already.

Nylon is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nightcars are dancing by themselves in their indie-soul-pop-rock amalgam, On My Own

Posted on 9 June 2023
Nightcars

With swathes of sugar on the vocal lines as they soulfully cut across the angularly sharp guitars and scintillating synths, the latest single, On My Own, from the Venezuelan powerhouse, Nightcars, is a reinvention of 80s nostalgia you will undoubtedly want to savour.

Adding to the amalgamated mix of indie, soul, pop, and rock are the deep funk-carved groove pockets that give the addictively affectionate release a distinctive dimension, setting Nightcars easily apart from the indie landfill fray.

On My Own is Grammy-worthy for the lyric, “should I pop another pill or is this how I should feel”. In such an evocatively succinct capacity, Nightcars encapsulated how we over-medicate human emotion to stop ourselves from feeling anything at all. If you needed any inspiration to rawdog your heartbreak, there it is.

It comes as no surprise that the band’s former releases have enabled them to build an international fanbase. Away from the conflict and turmoil in Venezuela, Nightcars now safely reside in Madrid, where they are working on their upcoming third EP, Extended Play Vol. 3, which is set to release later this year.

On My Own will officially release on June 9th. Check it out on Spotify and the artist’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Euro Disco Claws Are Out in Miron’s Latest Single, Long Nails

Posted on 4 June 2023

With synth lines that will speak to your rhythmic pulses as fluently as the ones that made New Order’s single, Blue Monday, so iconic, the latest single, Long Nails, from the Parisian purveyor of dance-rock, Miron, is strong enough to bring in a new wave of exhilarant gloomy electronica.

The singer-songwriter has become one of the freshest parts of the Parisian touring circuit fabric with his high-energy live shows; his Euro disco hits resonate just as well on the airwaves for the way his authentic vocal lines command your attention while the synthetics lure you into sonically hedonist escapism.

He may not have reinvented the wheel with Long Nails, but he has certainly engraved his signature into it while ensuring the familiarity of his earworm never came at a compromise to his expressive autonomy.

“I wanted to explore a different genre and bring in some fresh elements, while still staying true to my sound. The 80s influence in this track represents a time that has always fascinated me. I wanted to bring that feeling back and share it with my listeners”.

Long Nails is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Positronic signed, sealed, and delivered a 80s synth-pop postcard with his latest single, A Long Goodbye

Posted on 31 March 2023
Positronic

With an edge of 80s synthpop sharpening the future-embracing textures in the ardently dreamy release that picks up plenty of visceral weight from the crooned harmonies, the latest single, A Long Goodbye, from Positronic will warm even the most sub-zero souls.

Odes to the 80s can often sound trite at best – there was never any danger of that with the reminiscences to icons of aural cool such as Editors, noted through the harshness of the snares, the chillier timbres and the sheer depth of emotion in the vocals.

The unassimilated gravitas of A Long Goodbye starts to make infinitely more sense with a glimpse at the artist and producer’s biography; the solo artist has been in the synth-pop scene since 1988, spurred on by the love of The Pet Shop Boys, OMD, Erasure and Depeche Mode. The Cali solo artist is just as talented as the artists he pulled inspiration from.

A Long Goodbye will officially release on March 31st; hear it on Positronic’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Smooth Retsina Glow orchestrated a psych-pop sonic sugar rush with their latest single, Overcoming

Posted on 12 March 2023

After Smooth Retsina Glow got ‘Metaphysical’ with their third album in 2022, they’ve rivalled the psychedelic soul of the Flaming Lips in their latest single, Overcoming.

Sarah Stoll’s vocals effortlessly fuse into the technicolour tones of the psych-pop synths and the guitars that bring a pinch of angular new-wave indie melodicism to the release. If that wasn’t enough sticky-sweet nectar to melt into, the Beach Boys-ESQUE vocal harmonies are sure to strip the malady out of the weariest souls.

The Lehigh Valley award-winning act has been picking up the accolades left, right, and centre in recent years. Undoubtedly, Overcoming will earn the outfit that started in 2019 a few more. The boundless creativity paired with the optimistically bright lyricism, which proves that everyone can take control of their perception, created a serotonin-soaked playlist staple for anyone who wants to hang on to their sanity and optimise their mortal coils.

Stream Overcoming on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chasing Abbey – Lie: 10/10 Sociopaths Will Detest The Taste of This Dance-Driven-Pop Ear Milk

Posted on 7 March 2023

What do you say about one of the freshest pop palettes of the decade, let alone the year? The scintillatingly sweet soul in the latest single, Lie, from the Irish outfit Chasing Abbey is enough to make a sociopath swoon at something other than their ability to manipulate for personal pleasure.

Capturing the deceit that hits the hardest, when it comes from someone holding your vulnerability in your hands, the electro-dance-pop earworm goes out to anyone in the same boat. While the synth lines deliver their glistening stabs, the steady builds and breaks in the backbeat work to entrance you as much as the titular reprise, which seems to garner more meaning with every repetition of that monosyllabic three-letter word that will be reverberating around your head long after this hit has faded to a close.

Taking the inspiration of the dance-driven pop hits from the 2010s; Chasing Abbey did more than emanate the likes of Swedish House Mafia and MK; they set the bar for every artist that wants to transcend their sound, which has seen them win the Irish Song of the Year Award at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize, sell-out national tours and support The Chainsmokers, Rita Ora and Enrique Iglesias.

Stream Lie on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Slip into the indie synth-pop sanctum of Aquarium Drinker’s reflectively melodic single, By Design

Posted on 24 February 2023
https://.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf0WRBEbE94&feature=youtu.be

Finding the synthesised middle ground between Alan Vega and Beach House, the up and coming Seattle-based alt-pop artist Aquarium Drinker created a sentimental synth pop haven with their latest single, By Design, which is due for release on February 24th.

After the strobing synths in the prelude feed the euphonic energy, the indie singer-songwriter introduces his quiescently deadpan vocals. Despite their laidback attitude, it is all too easy to connect with the soul of the reflectively poignant release, which ponders how much control we have over our lives and how much was brandished on a blueprint from our first breath.

By Design is beyond anything we have ever heard before. Yet, through the resonant intimacy, few soundscapes we have heard this year are satisfyingly sweeter.

Here’s what Aquarium Drinker had to say about his latest single:

“Many of my songs, like this one, are about being disappointed in others. The sole theme of By Design is on the points of contention in a relationship with one of my exes. We had differing opinions about a political issue; I couldn’t bring him into my frame of mind because that is how he was raised to think… By Design.”

Stream the official music video for By Design by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rae Larz drifted into the 5th dimension in her spacey synth-pop debut, Tea in the Stratosphere

Posted on 23 February 2023

Here to warn us that reality isn’t what we think it is, is the up-and-coming experimental artist Rae Larz, who could give Bjork a run for her Avant-Garde money with her introspectively spacey hit, Tea in the Stratosphere.

Stirring her artfully psychedelic single with a heavy dose of futurism ensured that she established herself as an orchestrator of soul-emancipating sonic remedies, which take us far beyond the maladies of the 21st century.

The decadently soft synth lines lustfully collide with the trip-hop-y percussive fills and the nuanced slithers of jazz timbres and other world music elements that heighten this elevated hit to the nth degree.

Every aural inch of Tea in the Stratosphere was written, performed, produced, and engineered by Rae Larz herself. Evidently, the Brooklyn-based originator will become an unreckonable force in the industry.

Tea in the Stratosphere was officially released on February 3rd via Jupiter’s Luck Records. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Transcend gravity with Marcus Liuzzi’s spacey 80s synth pop serenade, No One Better Than You

Posted on 30 January 2023

There was no forgetting Marcus Liuzzi after his lasciviously hooky 2022 single, 2 Night Stand. He’s swooned in with the Chris Isaak 80s vibes once more in his proclamation of enduring passion, No One Better Than You. The synthy, spacey pop tones push the single beyond the earth’s atmosphere, transcending gravity and every pop archetype that came before it.

No feeling quite matches the sensation of earnestly upholding someone as the reflection of perfection in your eyes – especially when their own self-image is dimmed with doubt, leaving you compelled to celebrate them to put back the shine in their tear-streaked aplomb.

“you feel as though you’re broken, you’re not the only one, you put your trust in someone else, and look what they’ve done” may just be the most compassionate lyric penned in the last decade.

Listen to No One Better Than You on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast