SYNTHWAVE: A MUSICAL BACK TO THE FUTURE

AS A HOMAGE TO HALCYON DAYS WHICH WERE ALL ABOUT DREAMING WITH A BRIGHTER, UTOPIC FUTURE, SYNTHWAVE IS MORE THAN MUSIC, IS A SPACE-TIME JOURNEY.

One of my favourite music genres since a time ago is, without a doubt, the synthwave. But for me, this is more than just a genre, it’s a journey to an idyllic time and place which I never witnessed, yet I long for. Yes, that’s the 80’s. That glorious epoch predominated by that unique and dream-like futuristic aesthetic, the synthesisers, and the iconic horror movies —yes, I’m talking about Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. No joke—.

If you’re not familiar with the term, synthwave is an electronic and synthetic music sub-genre mostly influenced by retro video games and film soundtracks, and it’s like a homage to halcyon days in which people like me would like to expend their eternity.

However, let’s stop talking about synthwave music and instead we’ll listen to some freaking good synthwave music. Here is a list of my five favourite synthwave bands and artists and also some of their best songs and music videos:

1. GUNSHIP
   

Gunship is an epic voyage to a place not too far away for although the lyrics may seem to talk about some Lovecraftian horror tale or a digital adventure inside a classic arcade video game, well, the truth is most of them explore the human condition. Yes, they teach us to be brave by exploring the darker corners of our minds and hearts. That killer style is what, in my opinion, characterises the Gunship’s music. Their lyrics are deep and reminiscent to the ‘80s music, yet their sound is fresh, and it’s usually accompanied by the delightful voice of Alex Westaway which has an incredibly familiar sound.

And, if that was not enough, they have made a reputation for their innovative videos which include the collaboration with the director John Carpenter, YES! The director of They Live (1988) and Halloween (1978) itself!

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