Synthwave 2023

Another exciting year is in the books. I will now highlight some of my favorite releases from this year. A synthwave highlight for me this year was getting to see Midnight Danger perform live just in time for Halloween. I've been to a few synthwave shows before and they where fun. But, I've never been to a popular artist show. Midnight Danger absolutely rocked the place. Anyways, every album on this list is perfectly capable of rocking the place.

Mega Drive - 200X

I'm always eagerly awaiting a Mega Drive music release. I truly feel he or she can do no wrong. My favorite album is still Sequencer, but this may very well be a close second. I'm convinced that it surprasses both 198X and 199X and narrowly edges out Neuroframe.

Neuromancer - Hardwired

This is nothing short of incredible. It's like Neuromancer took parts from all of your favorite darksynth masters, mixed them all together in a big melting pot, and churned out Hardwired. The biggest influence may be Dan Terminus, but there's definitely a strong Mega Drive, Perturbator, and Carpentur Brut influence in there. There's probably other influences that I'm not aware of that creeped in there. The cyberpunk melodies and arpeggios are electrifying and even beautiful. The way it all meshes together to generate enrapturing songs is truly a soundscape to behold.

French Geometry - Zero Hour

French Geometry finally returns with another short three song EP. The signature eerie space age melodies are there, but they seem controlled in order blend with more traditional synth melodies. The result is a satisfying mixture of eerie spacewave and outrun by-the-way-of chillwave. The songwriting is still impressive as French Geometry manages to convey meaning in each song in less than three minutes. Now that's poetry.

Fixions - Cybermagic Tales

Fixions is my second favorite electronic artist. The man can also do no wrong. Cybermagic Tales is as hard hitting as anything he's ever done while sprinkling unique mythical melodies on top that hook you right in. A personal favorite of mine is The Omen. That track best summarizes everything I love about this album. Bone crushing low end synths that just as heavy as any metal album while retaining that dark mystical feel that draws you into another world.

Isidor - Stygian

Another artist that can do no wrong. Our lord of synth returns and he absolutely delivers. It's as if Isidor perfected the formula for how to write terrific synthwave music. A healthy dose of heavy pulsing rythms, a solid touch of space vibes, a dash of delicate melodies, and a good size of bright coloring. It all mixes so perfectly well. It makes for a delectable treat that's impossible to retreat.

Acryl Madness - Hellion/Blood Rage Hurricane

Here's yet another artist that can do no wrong. If there's one thing I appreciate about Acryl Madness is the high frequency of musical output. He releases an album every few months. What's remarkable is that he does so with no dip in quality. It's nuts. Blood Rage Hurricane is the wicked darksynth we all know and love from Acryl Madness. It does seem a bit on the heavier side this time around. Unwilling Betrayal is my favorite on here and a perfect example of why this album rocks. Hellion is a bit of an oddball.It's not easy to describe why this album is a bit odd, but I think a song like HVND_OF_GOD is a good example. It doesn't stray far from the Acryl Madness sound, but those weird vocal noises and that jittering melody are definitely perturbing in the best way possible. The captivating twists and turns in the songwriting present in both albums and are as strong as ever.

Timecop1983 - In Search of Tomorrow

The nostalgia vibes are back and as great as they have always been. You could say that familiar territory from Night Drive and Faded Touch is being explored here. However, In Search of Tomorrow has less vocals and more just straight synths. I personally feel it's for the better. There's a thing that Timecop1983 does where the music because for a split second and then a powerful melody explodes through the speakers. It's an age old trick, but he has mastered it so well that I can never get tired of it. This is easily better than those two aforementiond albums.

Cyber Genesis - Neurowave

It turns out that Cyber Genesis is a side project of SX107. I have never heard of either prior to this album, but I am definitely glad I did. This is essentially a high energy video game soundtrack. Nothing here would be out of place on an eight or sixteen bit game from the 80s or 90s. Of course, this is exactly what the genre was inspired by. So, it runs the risk of sounding cliche. But it is not cliche. Hell, even if it was, it still rules. Hit me with all those miniboss sounds, last level noises, and heroic conclusion melodies all day long. I am absolutely here for it. Neurowave totally delivers.

Conclusion

I think I touched on a lot of major artists on this list. I tried to include a few lesser known artists. Needless to say, this list is not comprehensive by any means. But I think even this small collection of albums demonstrates that all the popular creators are still going strong and at the top of their game and, also, there are still up and coming artists that are capable of carrying the torch for the genre. Synthwave will never die.