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 2024 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. Madeline Goldstein – “1996 Expectations”
Los Angeles-based musician Madeline Goldstein follows up her 2023 breakthrough EP with a new single that Post-punk.com calls, “Picture Madonna fronting Violator-era Depeche Mode.” That’s lofty—and apt—praise. “1996 Expectations” combines rich, haunting melodies with beautiful, introspective lyrics.
9. Sacred Skin – “Call It Off”
Another Los Angeles band, Sacred Skin, are set to release their sophomore album, Born in Fire, in September. We’ve already heard a couple of singles, including the mysterious doom-glam track “Waiting.” Latest single “Call It Off” channels ’80s New Wave soundtracks with a retro sound that’s part synthwave, part post-punk.
8. Alienare – “Against the Waves”
German duo Alienare just released their fourth album, Emerald, last year. But they’re already back with a new one called Lumen. On a deep exploration of the album, I discovered “Against the Waves.” The song trades in the kind of slow-build that I find very compelling. Once the beat arrives around the 90-second mark, it settles into an easy-going futurepop vibe with lyrics about overcoming adversity.
7. Tobias Bernstrup – “Jackie 60”
Swedish artist Tobias Bernstrup has an incredible knack for crafting indelible hooks out of historic events (see, for instance, his chronicle of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.) His latest, another relentlessly catchy tune with enticing Italo bleeps, pays tribute to the legendary Jackie 60 nightclub that hosted weekly parties throughout the ’90s in New York’s Meatpacking District.
6. Wingtips feat. Ronnie Stone – “The Break”
The first two albums from Chicago duo Wingtips are wildly different. They traded in the lush, Disintegration-esque sound of album one for a minimalist approach on its follow-up. I’m excited to see what they do with LP three. Our first hint, “The Break,” promises a return to dark, pounding beats and dense arrangements.
5. Urban Heat – “Addicted to the Sounds”
“Addicted to the Sounds” closes Urban Heat’s monumental debut album, The Tower, with grandiose flair. The much hyped band combines electronics and post-punk attitude in an difficult-to-classify sound. It all gloriously collides on the final track. There are even gigantic power chords that recall, of all things, pop metal acts like Ghost.
4. Future Lied to Us – “None”
Synthpop supergroup Future Lied to Us continues to defy expectations with their second single of the year. “None” follows last month’s “Code” (my top song of July) with a more accessible vocal delivery. Yet these super producers know how to add unexpected elements. Try not to be mesmerized by the 242-esque echo they add to words like “reflection” and “rejection.”
3. A Flock of Seagulls – “Some Dreams”
It’s a big year for classic New Wave bands. Propaganda and Haircut One Hundred are among the artists releasing their first new material in decades. No one would have ever guessed that the band with the infamously silly haircuts would return with the best song of the bunch. “Some Dreams,” A Flock of Seagull’s first original tune in 30 years, combines guitars and synths in a glorious manner that recalls their most memorable material without ever feeling outdated.
2. Super Dragon Punch!! – “Gloom”
Belgian project Super Dragon Punch!! just released their latest album, Thorns. Several singles arrived prior to Thorn’s release, though non-single “Gloom” is the album’s best cut. It’s a gritty fusion of high-energy industrial and melodic futurepop that deviates from the album’s abrasive sound. Jérémie Venganza drenches his vocals in reverb, which lends the song a big-room anthemic sound.
1. Sleek Teeth – “Endless”
LA-based duo Sleek Teeth has just two songs to their name. But what a promising act. “Endless” takes hold with thumping industrial beats, menacing clanks, and a sinister synth line. The song’s lyrics explore the fear of the unknown with memorable lines like “we can’t escape a cold life.” Can’t wait to hear more from this project.
