Synth Pop
News: Future Islands Heading Back To Australia & New Zealand
Future Islands Are Heading Back to Australia and NZ For First Tour In 6 Years.
Track: Perth-based Klaude unveils ‘LMK’ – a dark, sinister slice of grooving synth pop.
‘LMK’ is the enigmatic single from Perth-based duo Klaude and it is a dark, foreboding track that nonetheless sparkles with an understated pop sensibility. The deep fuzzy synth bass creates the ominous undercurrent that billows like gathering storm clouds while the vocals are distant with an arctic chill, and yet there is a vibrancy and …
New Track/video: More bumping 80’s funk: Soundway preview ground-breaking Argentinian electro compilation ‘Sintesis Moderna’ with single ’Como Son Los Retratos’.
A few weeks back those flawless global beat curators at Soundway Records announced the 21st October release of their next ‘must have’ artefact ‘Síntesis Moderna: An Alternative Vision Of Argentinian Music 1980-1990‘. Meticulously put together by Argentinian DJ/ producers Ric Piccolo and Ariel Harari, a pair of tireless crate diggers turning the spotlight on their …
News: Tove Lo Announces Headline Australian Shows And New Album
Tove Lo announces headline tour of Australia and NZ and upcoming new album.
Premiere: Berlin-based new wave synth queen Novaa releases the breezy alt pop of ‘School Friends’.
We are very pleased to premiere the new track ‘School Friends’ from Berlin based alt pop chanteuse Novaa. ‘School Friends’ has a sparse melodic beat with wry observational lyrics that are louche and laid back, capturing the social anxieties of interaction with peers. Novaa has captured a sense of vulnerability in her expression, wrapped up …
PREMIERE: Vancouver’s Gold & Youth get existential on ‘Blush’; long-awaited second album out tomorrow
In 2013, Canadian quartet Gold & Youth released their very good debut album Beyond Wilderness; then they, er, went into the wilderness. For eight years. We genuinely thought they had broken up – this is, thankfully, not the case. Not only are they still a band, but they’ve also got an imminent new record. Trailed …
Track: The dreamy and ethereal Barrie returns with more sublime synth pop in track ‘Frankie’ and announces US and European tour
I really shouldn’t dwell on the past so much but Barrie‘s single ‘Tal Uno’, reviewed by me here back in 2018 remains one of the most outstanding and perfect slices of pure pop heaven I’ve heard over my years of writing for Backseat Mafia. Subsequent releases displayed the same acute ear for melody, laden with …
EP: Bangalore’s dream pop exponents Us and I release their shimmering debut EP ‘Loveless’
Having enticed us with the single ‘Fragile’ last month, Bangalore dream pop duo Us and I have just dropped their debut EP ‘Loveless’, four dollops of exquisite dream pop delights. The band beautifully express their inspirations: In a world doused with melancholia, there is no dearth of inspiration. A lot of ideas were being developed …
Track: CHVRCHES share ‘How Not To Drown’ (feat Robert Smith) with new album ‘Screen Violence’ coming out 27 August
Glasgow synth-pop greats CHVRCHES have shared a special remix of their latest single How Not To Drown featuring one of the band’s musical heroes, The Cure frontman Robert Smith. With CHVRCHES’ Martin Doherty proclaiming publicly that the track marked “the proudest moment of my life in music”, the darkly atmospheric pairing of The Cure’s hallmark …
Track: Geoffrey O’Connor reveals the synth pop joy of ‘For As Long As I Can Remember (feat. Jonnine)’
Flutes never sounded so good as the arpeggiated riff that sinuously winds its way through ‘For As Long As I Remember’, the reflective and delicate track from singer/songwriter/producer Geoffrey O’Connor. Featuring the dulcet vocals of Jonnine from the band HTRK as a duet, this is an atmospheric and catchy synth pop tune that exudes an …