The xmas season is also a season of traditions and retro vibes. So I found it suitable to end this year with a couple of great new synthwave pop tracks, before we kick off the new year right after New Years Eve.
See you in 2021!
The Bad Dreamers – Let Go Of Me
It is not my intention to insult other synthwave acts now, but far too many vocals are drowned in reverb and effects in a poor attempt of masking the fact that the vocalist could use a few more hours of practise.
Solid vocals really do make a significant difference. Like what we have here. The voice stands tall and proud in the mix and delivers on all accounts, blended perfectly with the rest of the the track.
And that makes it one of the best synthwave tracks I’ve heard in a long time – maybe even one of my all time favourites.
The eighties authenticity is through the roof, another factor that is important for me. No eager side-chained compression or kick drums that screams current day EDM. Instead we hear Police, Johnny Hates Jazz and Mr Mister lurking in the shadows of this giant of a track.
Roberto Prado & Sarah Meyz – Midnight Rider
Next up is a track that maybe don’t score as high in authenticity but is a FUN track, with an extremely pompous introduction that stretches across a whopping 1.5 minutes. Yeah, one and a half minute of pure intro. Complete madness from a pop production context, but feels oddly liberating, maybe for that exact reason.
And once it does properly get going it offers an intriguing blend of segments of various character and intensity. It’s a complex arrangement, and intriguingly so.
Very cinematic. And very eighties vibe.
Both tracks are added to our synthwave playlist on Spotify, named “More Eigthties than the 80s itself!”, where they reside with only the finest, primarily vocal based synthwave released over the last few months.