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. Electronic Zoo – “Spaceman”
Swedish duo Electronic Zoo build tension out of atmospheric electronics on their moody and dynamic “Spaceman.” The real magic happens when the tempo takes a beat, the chorus explodes with dramatic intensity, and the song’s hook arrives: “I can be a spaceman.”
9. Propter Hoc – “The Basement”
Scottish act Propter Hoc channels the chaotic fun of last year’s “Imagineers in the Exclusion Zone” with “The Basement,” which crackles with the same analog textures—rattling metal, shuffling rhythms, and elastic synths. This high-energy synth blast trades the abstract weirdness of its predecessor for a more direct “party in the basement” vibe.
8. Hatif – “Take the Bait”
Swedish duo Hatif dive deep into dystopian atmospherics on “Take the Bait,” a track built on booming bass, pulsing synths, and eerie, pitter-patter percussion. The menacing vocal delivery and ominous sound design make this one feel incredibly immersive. Listen to it on good headphones to catch every unsettling detail.
7. On Moral Ends – “I Won’t Conform”
Swedish newcomers On Moral Ends make a bold statement with “I Won’t Conform,” a slow-burning track driven by dark synth tones and dynamic drum programming. Its defiant lyrics about standing up to adversity feel especially timely in an era of rising intolerance. This emerging act opened for Priest last year and will release their debut album in the summer.
6. E:lect – “You”
“You” opens with playful electronic taps that sound like electrons bouncing through the cosmos. Then a pummeling beat arrives, followed by scissoring synth layers that envelope you in the the song’s sentimental core: “As long as you are here, nothing will bring me down.” It’s a dynamic synthpop gem that’s among my favorite tracks from E:lect’s just released album, Forgotten Future.
5. Code 64 – “The Running Man”
Code 64 deliver pure afterhours euphoria with “The Running Man,” a trance-infused futurepop track built on swirling melodic arpeggios and a chill, yet pulsing beat. Masters of blending trance atmospherics with classic synthpop structure, they anchor the song with a soaring, hypnotic chorus: “So I run. Chasing the horizon. Under her sun. So I run.”
4. Kite – “Heaven N Hell”
Swedish synth giants Kite officially released “Heaven N Hell,” a track they debuted on last year’s U.S. tour. Supercharged with buzzsaw synths from their previous collaborator Blanck Mass, the song’s hypnotic repetition delivers a subtle build that leans heavily onto their signature brand of sentimental heartbreak—“I hate my fragile heart / and every time it’s torn apart.”
3. Dina Summer feat. Curses, Joshua Murphy – “Promise Me”
Dina Summer’s “Promise Me,” the standout track from the project’s sophomore album Girls Gang, channels vintage darkwave with a modern edge. Featuring contributions from Curses and Joshua Murphy, it pairs strumming guitars, thundering drums, and twittering electronics with cavernous, full-throttle vocals—its massive “Promise me / please don’t miss me when I’m gone” hook recalls the iconic Sisters of Mercy sound without feeling like a copycat.
2. Chris Harms feat. VNV Nation – “The Grey Machines”
We haven’t heard a Ronan Harris guest vocal since the VNV Nation frontman joined German gothic-rock act Mono Inc. for their 2017 track “Boatman.” He sounds more at home here, duetting with Chris Harms over lush electronic orchestration. “The Grey Machines” pulses with dark, blippy tones and world-weary lyrics that don’t sound too far off from a VNV song: “Ohhh, the grey machines / Revolve in rhythm / Ohhh, the grey machines / A new religion.”
1. AGNIS – “Baba Jaga”
Polish dark priestess AGNIS is clearly having a blast on this banger about the legendary Slavic witch, Baba Jaga. At one point, she lets out a wicked giggle, but it’s the chorus’s menacing chant that truly makes the song so enticing. “Baba Jaga,” a pre-release single from her upcoming album of witchpop tracks, casts a hypnotic spell that pulls you deep into the mystical woods.
