Here are my favorite songs of the month in synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and adjacent genres. If you want to follow my music discovery this year, subscribe to my 2025 playlist on Spotify. New songs are added every Friday. Sort by “Date Added” to see new tracks appear at the top of the playlist.
10. Diorama – “No Complications”
“No Complications,” Diorama’s first new song since their madcap album Tiny Missing Fragments, continues their fascination with unusual soundcraft, pairing a wobbly bassline with erratic synth chatter and flickers of guitar.
9. T.O.Y. – “Forever in Silence”
With lighter, bubbly tones and rich, expressive vocals, “Forever in Silence” offers a gentle piece of songcraft that captures the spirit of T.O.Y.’s The Prophet album.
8. j:dead – “Pressure”
UK artist j:dead kicks off his new-song-every-month project with “Pressure,” a hard-hitting showcase of razor-sharp sound design and his impressively dynamic vocal range.
7. White Noise TV – “Transistor”
“Transistor” finds White Noise TV in ambient futurepop mode, stacking sleek atmospherics onto a heavy, thumping beat, with a few unexpected twists that feel fitting for a song called “Transistor.”
6. CZARINA – “Dagger in the Heart”
“Dagger in the Heart” falls firmly within the epic terrain CZARINA has perfected over her last two albums—orchestral chants, bold synth flourishes, and the artist’s soaring operatic vocals.
5. BlakLight – “The Haunting of Us”
The title track of BlakLight’s fourth album The Haunting of Us captivates with bubbling synths, a fast-paced beat, and imaginative lyrics about time standing still and the sky going out.
4. Buzz Kull – “Just a Memory”
Maybe it’s because I was listening to The Land of Rape and Honey earlier, but there’s an old-school industrial vibe in the way Buzz Kull layers sinister electronics and shadowy vocals on the dark, dancey “Just a Memory.”
3. Beyond Border – “Lost Inside”
Beyond Border follow last month’s fiery anthem “Machines (Hello Goodbye)” with the solemn beauty of “Lost Inside,” where thoughtful, understated lyrics and thick, juicy beats feel like a ballad collided with a mid-tempo banger.
2. Seeming – “Any Other World”
“Any Other World” is a lovely, perfect pop song from Seeming’s The World album that’s built on twinkling chimes, richly layered electronics, and deep, romantic longing.
1. A Spell Inside – “City of Reborn”
“City of Reborn,” my favorite non-single from A Spell Inside’s new album called Last, glows with rich, sumptuous electronics and thoughtful lyrics about wind, rain, and rebirth.
Chris Brandon is the voice of Synthpop Fanatic. He is a writer and content strategist who lives in Washington, DC, with his husband and two Siberian huskies.
