Counting down my favorite synthpop, futurepop, and darkwave songs of the month.
Written by: Chris Brandon
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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. Implant – “Vampier State”
Belgian electro act Implant released Judging Sinners, the final installment in their Chaos Machines trilogy. Like the rest of the series, the album is a scathing critique of global affairs. The trilogy’s best track, “Responsible,” is included again on the third set because it’s just that good. Of the legit new songs, “Vampier State” is a harsher number that stands out for its urgency. Lyrics like “You’re sucking me dry” take on added relevance in the era of global meddler Elon Musk.
9. Torul – “Wish Upon a Star”
“Wish Upon a Star” comes from Torul’s just-released ninth studio album, Superposition. First single “Just Go” blasted things off with ecstatic beats. I also love album cuts “Dancers in the Dark” and “You Knew.” But “Wish Upon a Star” is the album highlight for its unique opening, longing vocals offering a message of hope, and dramatic synth arrangements that remind me of TR/ST’s music.
8. Devours – “Loudmouth”
Vancouver’s Devours continues to explore the queer experience with narrative-style lyrics on his latest single, “Loudmouth.” On the chorus, he forgoes a standard rhyming scheme, instead accentuating the middle words of each line to create a distinct vocal cadence. It pays off in the song’s most eccentric moment: “I wanna get FUCKED in a treehouse.” The track strikes a careful balance between his sentimental storytelling and the ecstatic chiptune flourishes that sometimes threaten to overwhelm his songs.
7. Minuit Machine – “Party People”
“Party People” is the latest single from Minuit Machine’s forthcoming new album, Queendom, the first since losing bandmate Hélène de Thoury to tinnitus. Built on a roiling techno beat with complex layers of pulsing electronics, the track maintains the project’s signature dark energy. Amandine Stioui’s vocals top the techno elements with a traditional song structure that bursts with vibrancy on the chorus.
6. White Noise TV – “Fear Can’t Kill All Future Dreams”
German duo White Noise TV deliver a contemplative yet defiant response to the rise of fascism on their latest single, “Fear Can’t Kill All Future Dreams.” That’s a mouthful of words they miraculously transform into an earwormy refrain. Set against a shuffling mid-tempo beat, the song offers politically charged lines like “The conservatives celebrate at the expense of the poor” that cut straight to the heart of the duo’s message.
5. Frozen Plasma feat. SITD – “Amnesia”
German futurepop vets Frozen Plasma kick off their 20th anniversary celebration with the first of what promises to be several collaborations this year. “Amnesia” features the incisive vocals of SITD, which would normally feel at home in the world of aggrotech. It works here because producer Vasi Vallis smartly pairs them with the melodic finesse of frontman Felix Marc. The contrasting vocal styles play an enthralling game of tug-of-war, making this one of the year’s most compelling collabs.
4. BLACKBOOK – “I Am Not a Robot”
DJ Winters once described BLACKBOOK as the band with no bad songs. I have to agree. The enigmatic Swiss duo continues to crank out tracks that delight and engage listeners with playful lyrics, sharp melodies, and club beats. Their latest, “I Am Not a Robot,” offers timely subject matter about our new AI overlords, but I really love the whistling motif that punctuates the verses. I’m a sucker for clever sound effects that add unexpected twists.
3. The Penthouse Plants – “The End of Anna”
I’m new to The Penthouse Plants, so I know next to nothing about them. The Chicago project has released a handful of singles since their 2021 debut but has yet to release a full-length. “The End of Anna,” the song that caught my attention, opens with a charming, jubilant synth riff that immediately captivates. That riff ebbs and flows across the track, mutating with each appearance and contrasting majestically against rather dire lyrics about “putting a gun to her head.” I’m an instant fan.
2. Massive Ego – “(My) Death Song”
Massive Ego turns inward on “(My) Death Song,” just their second track since their much-heralded return from hiatus. Carefully placed guitars from former Rosetta Stone member Porl Young add a welcome new dimension to the project, while frontman Marc Massive explores his mental health with a striking, instantly memorable line: “I’m bruised, but I’m alive.” The sentiment serves not just as an apt description of the band’s current state, but also as a relatable mantra for anyone who’s come through hardship.
1. Vintage Voltage – “Into the Void”
The mysterious Swedish duo Vintage Voltage continues to impress with another phenomenal single. On “Into the Void,” sonar pings pulse across the song’s driving beat, lending it an eerie, ominous quality—as if you’re on a submarine drifting through unexplored waters. Sentimental lyrics like “Even though I’m sad and scared” are delivered with delicate restraint, heightening the song’s tension. “Into the Void” is just their fifth song, yet every track so far has been stellar. This high-quality output in such a short timeframe cements Vintage Voltage’s status as one of the best new acts on the scene.
