Browsing Tag

Synth Rock

Harry Guntrip lured us into contemplation with the analogue synth ambience in ‘Overhead’

Posted on 24 October 2023

Guitars and synths take turns at the steering wheel in the seminal single, Overhead, from the Scottish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer, Harry Guntrip (AKA Joel Moore), who prises influence from the alt-90s to craft his melodic narratives which beckon experimental familiarity.

With the vocal lines carrying as much resonance as Arab Strap’s slow and deep timbre fused with Grandaddy-esque lo-fi analogue synth-driven melodicism, Overhead achieves a beguiling balance between artistically assertive and intimately emotional to embrace you with striking poetic polyphonic tenderness.

We can’t wait to hear what is lingering in the pipelines from Guntrip; his art is the perfect companion to contemplative nights which necessitate amplifying the sweetness of the bitter-sweet dichotomy.

Overhead was officially released on October 13; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sentia released the most seductive synthscape of the summer with ‘Make You’

Posted on 11 September 2023

Sentia’s latest single, Make You, kisses you through a cosmic installation of smooth analog synth-swathed rock grooves, comprised of velveteen guitars and basslines that funk up the seductively seminal reimagining of alt-rock just enough to put you on a proggy star-roving plateau of pure euphonic appreciation.

If you gave Editors the sex appeal of Alex Cameron, you still wouldn’t come close to what Sentia have crafted in their hit that encompasses the kind of carnal desire which leaves your psyche rife with indecision as the prospect of taking a chance leaves the line between right and wrong obscured with wanton lust.

With their consistently evolving discography, the iconic anomalies of the Australian alternative scene are increasingly hard to pin down, but considering that all their synthscapes are underpinned with sheer sonic beguile, fool on you if you want to force them into a pigeonhole choked with uninspired assimilators.

Make You hit the airwaves on August 18; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dream Optimist sugared sonic soul before pouring it into their spacey synthpop single,  Think Gently of Yourself

Posted on 9 September 2023

Silence the maleficence of your inner critic with the latest interstellar indie space pop escapade, Think Gently of Yourself, from Dream Optimist. If Do You Realize by The Flaming Lips never fails to pull at your heartstrings and stir your soul with unabashed positivity, the same viscerally sweet reaction awaits when you hit play on the seminal single from Dream Optimist’s 15-track LP, Seven Day Love Challenge.

Atop the twinkling Grandaddy-esque keys and around the chamber strings, the questioning and pervasive with doubt lyricism leads you on an affirming odyssey of a journey through the cosmos, with the consolingly compassionate vocals acting as a star-roving guide.

The Oakland, CA-residing songwriter and composer, frequently voyages between synthpop, bedroom pop, chamber pop and a myriad of other genres when penning his hits for his ‘low head count collective’. Before breaking into song crafting for the airwaves, the collective’s head honcho, David Marc Siegel, honed his talents in art-punk outfits and as a composer for ad music, theatre music, musical theatre, and short films, which goes a fair way in explaining how he settled on his cinematically spirited sound that will take you as high as the transcendent register on the vocal harmonies.

Stream Think Gently of Yourself by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rich Kid Express became the voice of volition in their symphonic with sleaze hard rock hit, U Never….

Posted on 7 September 2023
Under The Purple Lights by Rich Kid Express

The Carolina-hailing hard rock prodigal son, Rich Kid Express, glammed up symphonic synth rock in his slick with Sunset Strip sleaze EP, Under the Purple Lights, featuring the volition-driven single, U Never….

With whammy-laden guitars that sound like they’ve been torn from a Slayer hit punctuating the harbingeringly dark synth lines and an edge of antagonism that continues to slice through the KISS-esque atmosphere with every verse, hard rock scarcely hits harder.

There’s nothing quite like pouring all your contempt into a creative work in terms of catharsis but for hard rock fans who need iconic outfits to be their voice of vindication, there’s plenty of resolve in U Never…. which uses its razor-sharp teeth to tear through the deception and manipulation of the kind of exes we always come to regret getting in bed with.

Stream and purchase the EP in full via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

FanFixion took synth wave into dark unchartered waters with ‘Jackets Domain’

Posted on 19 August 2023

The US-based artist and producer FanFixion surpassed the synth wave trend with his 3-track project, Bleach Bitten, featuring the ensnaringly glitchy standout single, Jackets Domain.

As the emotions run high, the synth lines soak the darkwave score with atmospheric electricity which bridges the gap between new wave synthpop artists such as The Midnight and EBM icons including VNV Nation and Covenant.

With the inventive use of distortion to the hooky vocal melodies to amplify the intrinsic sense of disquietness and rock nuances bleeding into the hit that will leave your heart in your throat as soon as the chorus hits, it is safe to say that FanFixion has been triumphant in his mission to push synth wave into dark unchartered waters.

FanFixion released his 3-track single, Bleach Bitten, on August 11th; stream it in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The teeth of synth rock sharpened to the tune of Ghostfeeder’s latest single, Rearview

Posted on 11 August 2023
Ghostfeeder

The latest monolith of a hook-filled single, Rearview, from the alt-electronica trailblazer Ghostfeeder, stepped out from the shadows of 80s synthpop and glam rock to show its sharp teeth and even sharper hooks.

With the frenzied-with-distortion guitars around Ghostfeeder’s signature vintage synth textures and under the poppy vocals that leave the hooks in IAMX and Highly Suspect tracks sounding blunt, Rearview is a viscerally exhilarant release; especially if you allow the depth of the lyricism to submerge you deeper into the evocative momentum. Anyone who can find resonance in the reprise ‘stuck in rewind’ in the context of being paralysed when it comes to letting go of the past will get galvanizingly more than they’ve bargained for when they hit play.

After sharing stages with goth royalty, including KMFDM, Powerman 5000, and Cold Cave, it is more than about time that Ghostfeeder stepped into the headliner limelight. To bolster the honed songwriting, Rearview was mixed by the Grammy Award-nominated and platinum-selling artist and producer Amir Derakh (Orgy, Dead by Sunrise, Julien-K) and mastered by Mike Marsh (The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Depeche Mode). The track reaches the pinnacle of cyber goth ear candy.

Stream Rearview on all major platforms from the 11th of August via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

LOST and SOUND weaved an illusory indie pop-rock fantasy with their standout single, Weekend

Posted on 5 August 2023

The Fairfield, CA six-piece alt indie pop outfit, LOST and SOUND, has perfected the art of crafting addictively sticky melodies that effortlessly carry the escapism they deliver via their lyricism.

While the indie landfill pile climbs higher than Everest, LOST and SOUND transcend it all with their assimilation-free sonic fantasies; take their synthy new wave-influenced hit, Weekend for the perfect example. Living forever for the weekend may not be a feasible possibility in tangible reality, but with the meta lyrical phrases and the illusory instrumental arrangements, the romanticism of the notion will reel you in, razor-sharp hook, rhythmic line, and smooth vocal sinker.

To date, Weekend has racked up over half a million streams on Spotify. If their debut album, THE SILVER LINING, contains just a slither of ingenuity in Weekend, LOST and SOUND could easily become one of the biggest bands in Cali in 2023.

Stream Weekend on Spotify and keep up to date with future releases by following the powerhouse via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Shift your perceptions in a brighter direction with ORCHAD’s riotously synthy call to arms, DAMAGED GOODS

Posted on 9 June 2023

‘DAMAGED GOODS’ is the latest hyper-cosmic feat of synth-driven alt-rock from Montreal’s most monolithic powerhouse, ORCHAD.

With pinches of pop-punk making the hooks even sharper, this riotous call to arms to everyone who knows how it feels to disregard themselves as broken and too idiosyncratic to love is enough to shift self-perception in a far brighter direction.

The riffs that will make you reminisce about Dragonforce are just a fraction of the hard-hitting impact of DAMAGED GOODS. With an entire generation at risk of being lost to entropy and apathy, ORCHAD delivered an upbeat anthem, fierce enough in its exhilaration to affirm that it is society that is royally fucked, not the people living through the fallout.

If you could imagine what it would sound like if the Black Parade was written today, you will get an idea of the heart-in-throat resonance you will sink your teeth into when you hit play.

“The song is about the struggles and challenges of life and mental illness, including the pressure to conform and fit in with societal norms. It encourages the listener to let go of the expectations that society places on them and to accept themselves for who they are, flaws and all.

We should all focus instead on finding solace through healthy forms of self-expression. Everyone is going through their own struggles and we really are all “damaged goods.” If we focus on loving ourselves first and “dance in the rain” you might just be able to ease the pain.”

DAMAGED GOODS will hit the airwaves on June 9th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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