Browsing Tag

The Midnight

Zach Haselow brought purity to passion in his synth-pop hit, Rent Free

Posted on 1 September 2023

Get hooked on the reverb-heavy retrowave synth lines in the latest electro-pop hit, Rent Free, from the Alaskan icon in the making, Zach Haselow.

With a soundscape that finds the middle ground between the Weeknd and the Midnight, it is all too easy to get into the lush electronic grooves of Rent Free, which soulfully pays homage to the phenomenon of all-consuming romantic obsession while traversing the insecurities that desire can forcibly manifest.

The humbly sweet hit couldn’t be purer in its passion or more polished in its production; the melodies seem to effervesce around the funk-dripping basslines that will arrest your rhythmic pulses and refuse to let go until long after the fadeout. After spending over a decade perfecting the art of songwriting and producing, Zach Haselow has achieved a sonic signature that is as honed as it is distinctive.

Rent Free made its debut on August 18th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wassko has unveiled his moody RnB synth-pop rendezvous, Not Around

Posted on 15 July 2023

Wassko broke ground and hearts with his debut EP, Figured You’d Care, featuring the heartbreak hit of a standout single, Not Around. With a sonic signature that scribes itself between the Weeknd and The Midnight, Wassko reached the pinnacle of RnB-infused synth-pop style in Not Around, which becomes a dualistic lesson in sincerity with the vocal contribution from Rama, who gave the other side of the love story where elusiveness has severed the connection.

Even though the Haifa-residing artist only made his debut with his genre-melding sound, which frequently borrows from RnB, hip-hop, soul, EDM, and punk, last year, he’s already well on his way to establishing himself in the industry.

His 2023 EP is a testament to how honed his skills have become; it takes a fine balance of songwriting dexterity and sonic engineering to visualise such a complicated yet perfectly-rounded hit that paints raw emotion in kaleidoscopic colour, instead of the black and white lenses which are typically used to orchestrate love songs.

Not Around was officially released on June 30; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sandor Gavin borrowed from 80s synthpop pioneers in his captivatingly lush synthwave single, Ghost of a Memory ft Weldon

Posted on 27 June 2023

For his latest single, Ghost of a Memory, the Synthwave sensation, Sandor Gavin, borrowed the mesmeric vocal timbre of the featuring artist, Weldon, to leave the airwaves awash with nostalgia, emotion, and captivatingly lush melodies.

There is a strange assumption amongst artists and producers that when summer hits everyone is drunk on love and desperate to hear anthems which capture the euphoria of lust. Thankfully, Sandor Gavin injected realism into his latest synthwave crusade to help his audience through the minefield of lost love and shattered dreams.

The relatability of his crushed romanticism does so much more than just scratch at the surface of superficiality. Everything within Ghost of a Memory runs deep, from the basslines to the ennui to the reverberant hums emanating from the vocals, ensuring that the bitter-sweet release hits all the right marks.

Ghost of a Memory hit the airwaves on June 16; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Feel the heat of Keelan X’s latest synth-pop anthem, Fever

Posted on 19 August 2022

Like many artists, Ireland’s prodigal son of pop, Keelan Cunningham, turned to creative solitude during the pandemic, which saw him taking his strides as a solo artist after the dissolution of his band, The Marigolds. His third single, Fever, affirms that even as a one-man entity, he’s a powerhouse.

Armed with his Telecaster and Roland keyboard, he built a robust anthem out of Fever, which allows the strident vocal dynamism to match the mesmerizing energy of the heavy production, which will be an instant hit with The War on Drugs, The Weeknd, and The Midnight fans. To borrow a line from Labrinth, this one is feeling like a straight ten on the Richter scale. Fever is one of those rare hits that would work just as well filling a dance floor as it would on the radio. He became one to watch with his debut. Get him on your radar.

Fever is now available to stream on Spotify.

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

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

Jacobi.e – Wake Me Up in My Dreams: Intimately Glitchy Electronic Indie

Posted on 14 March 2021
Jacobi.e

‘Wake Me Up in My Dreams’ is the latest intimately glitchy feat of electronic indie released by up and coming artist and producer, Jacobi.e. The distorted jangle-pop guitars that ease you into his experimentally affable style could only be described as melodic quicksand.

There are some fairly obvious nods to the styles of the Weeknd and the Midnight, but with the LA-based artist’s lo-fi bedroom pop production style and their affinity for art-rock artists such as Radiohead, they’re able to deliver an engaging signature style which allows you drift through their subconscious.

Wake Me Up in My Dreams was inspired by the concept of idealism and our inability to accept the gritty nature of reality. Ironically, it’s viscerally ardent tracks like this that leave me with unrealistic romantic expectations.

Wake Me Up in My Dreams was released on February 21st. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

In Reverse – Ready: Soul-Driven Indie Synthpop  

Posted on 30 January 2021
In Reverse

If you could imagine what it would sound like if the 1975 and the Midnight met in the middle while incorporating elements of soul pop in the style of Maroon 5, you’ll get an idea of the stylistic melding which took place for In Reverse to create their latest single ‘Ready’.

The Oslo-based Norwegian Pop band’s approach to Pop may break free of the usual constraints which Pop artists find themselves bound by when they’re writing tracks with commercial potential in mind, but their sound is all the more immersive for it.

The unpredictably progressive electronic pop hit blends elements of contemporary synthpop with hints of indie jangle pop which are palpable in the guitar progressions, yet, Ready still unravels without experimentalism being the main focus. It’s a track which makes sure that the sentiment it was inspired by is harmonically hammered home. It may leave you with a little bit of procrastination guilt, but if any track is going to leave you psyched to attack everything you have been deliberating on, it’s this one.

The ‘Rona may have hindered In Reverse’s plans of aural domination, but on the basis of Ready, we can’t imagine they’ll let anything as small as a global pandemic get in the way.

Ready was released on January 15th, you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to In Reverse’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TriPed opens up their amorously romantic soul in “Driving with Tears in My Eyes”

Posted on 10 October 2020

If you thought the title to TriPed’s latest single “Driving with Tears in My Eyes” is candid, just wait until you hear the raw, fraught introspection which acts as a window into the melancholic soul of this exceptional artist.

It’s an organ-tensingly evocative experience which is sweetened by the striking talent on display in the Synth Pop hit.

Driving with Tears in My Eyes will throw you back to the 80s with the throbbing synth notes while simultaneously projecting you into the future, which will undoubtedly be bright for the London-based solo Pop artist.

Whether you’re a fan of the Midnight or still a staunch fan of the Human League, you won’t want to miss this electrifyingly powerful release.

You can check out TriPed’s latest single via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Garnetts have taken Guitar Pop to a brand-new level with their romantically groove-soaked single “This Dance”

Posted on 3 October 2020
https://soundcloud.com/thegarnettsmusic/this-dance/s-GaaBZFzHwr3

“This Dance” is the lead single from Indie Pop artist The Garnetts’ forthcoming EP of the same title. It’s also one of the most compellingly magnetic feats of Guitar Pop that we’ve heard this year.

With a sound which is somewhere between The Midnight and the 1975, The Garnetts’ sound moves in perfect parallel with the contemporary curve. It also unravels as the perfect Pop track to hit play on as Autumn starts to draw in with the shorter days and colder nights. Whether you’re amorously savouring the warmth of a season are a lover, This Dance is sure to hit you right in the feels.

You’ll be able to check out This Dance for yourselves from October 2nd, 2020 by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast