“Breaking Headlines, It Was All For You.” Songwriter Tyler Garret awoke from a nightmare and penned his new single Bad Dream. The retro dark pop release has the classic night drive feel. Top down turn the radio loud, taking in the cinematic dream of a pre-party cruise. That’s when synthwave hits best, and Garrett embraces all of it. There’s the soundtrack appeal that bred the genre out of the movie Drive. Garrett adds an emotional vocal, connecting with new superstars The Midnight and Ollie Wride.
Bad Dream also brings bedroom pops minimalistic affect, with just a couple variable synth sound. Less is more in Garretts world. The sparse arrangement highlights the delay and automation tricking out the vocal, as well as the various echoing percussion hits. Garrett knows Bad Dream stands alone, it’s just a solid song, he was smart not to overproduce it. It pulls you in melodically, and has all the charm to get stuck in your head.
The LA based songwriter has several releases spanning the spectrum of electro pop. Though he has displayed flashes of 80s influence, like on his singles Potential Love and Old Flames, he goes full Synthwave on the recent Bad Dream. Garrett admits he’s an 80s baby, and it’s safe to say he carries the best of what’s good from this masterful period in pop.
Enjoy Bad Dream now on our Best New Synthwave playlist.
The Swedish Railway Orchestra is a spiritual dance drama. There’s a sanctimonious aura to this dark pop, a deeper reason to dance. It’s more than a good time, it’s a release from all that weighs heavy on us. The weight of the world, the perils of life, the pains of awakening. This sentiment is on full display on The Ballhaus. The first single in advance of the forthcoming album Dance To The Drum Machine, it sets the bar high. The Swedish Railway Orchestra is not a revivalist project. This is the heady art pop that launched The Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem.
Abstract lyrical polaroids released in tangent challenge you to piece together the meaning of Ballhaus. That cinematic mystery pulls you deeper into this groovy mantra. The Ballhaus is hypnotic, like a cultish siren drawing you into their dark world like sly veneer. It is not how it seems. “Why do you cry inside of The Ballhaus?” Leaving room for interpretation, it caters to sinister inclinations, and brings a tint of horror to this synth pop package.
You can bypass the need for interpretation and just get lost in this intoxicating groove, but if you demand something deeper, TSRO brings the best of both worlds. The subtle retro flavor should appeal to fans of both synth pop and dark wave. It also connect to borderless indie acts like Arcade Fire and Spoon, as TSRO leaves a lot of room to evolve from this introspective dream into expansive stratospheres of song and sound.
Venture into The Ballhaus, now on our Best New Indie Synthwave playlist.
The international collaboration known as Moon and Aries has yielded impressive results. A combination of synth pop and opera, the fulfilling partnership pairs an elegant producer and a dynamic singer. Composer Aries resides in Germany, while singer Moon calls Canada home. Tied to eternity by these musical artifacts, they’ve collected their best together on the new album The Arrival. Recalling iconic pairs such as The Eurythmics and Yazoo, Moon and Aries bring an additional operatic element to this nostalgic retro palette. As if Loreena McKennitt or Enya made a synthwave record. It’s a welcome variation on the 80s revival movement. It also has a tonal element of 90s synth pop known to artists like Ace of Base.
Producer Aries draws from a vast sonic spectrum. The crisp textures shimmer and tickle as an arsenal of synths and pads create rich dreamy atmospheres. The arrangements are intricate, with intersecting leads swirling above ethereal soundscapes. Moon, proficient in her ability, colors these sonic worlds with harmonies and ad-libs in support of her solitaire leads. The vocal arrangements are equally expansive, matching Aries penchant for dense sonic worlds.
Get lost in The Arrival, and enjoy this Sneak Preview, now on our Best New Synthwave playlist.
Charlotte Snedden channels 80s pop royalty on her new single All I See is You. The second track on her new RETROspective EP, it has all the trademark infection known to iconic acts like Madonna and Janet Jackson. Charlotte found respite in an 80s pop package after suffering a breakup at the onset of the pandemic. The comforting nostalgia of 80s pop is the perfect pick me up to heal a hurting soul. In the spirit of creating something positive out of this heartache, Snedden unleashes bottled musical ammo provided from the breakup, the ideal contrast for this catchy pop package.
All I See Is You is complete with atmospheric, heavenly synths in the vein of Madonna’s classic Like A Prayer era. Electro bass, synth stabs, and palmed guitars all add to the reference of time and place. Snedden brings a rich intelligent arrangement. The production quality recalls some of the best retro-futuristic creations, artists like Sebastian Gampl and Robert Parker who capture the vibe of the decade convincingly.
Charlotte brings an additional pop sensibility known to timeless pop. That classic 80s tempo anchored by a gated snare, calling you to swing into the dance floor with emphatic exuberance. It’s what made the decade timeless, and RETROspective is a new gift to add to your dance pop collection. It fits nicely alongside the best from our favorite pop decade.
Enjoy All I See Is You now on our Best New Synthwave Playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 