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. CRED – “Chasing”
On “Chasing,” under-the-radar band CRED channels the breezy synthpop vibes of classic bands like OMD and The Dream Academy. I don’t know much about this Swedish project beyond a handful of releases, but the soft, crooned vocals about crawling shadows and fading nights feel cinematic and heartfelt. This one could easily soundtrack a John Hughes film.
9. The Penthouse Plants – “Strangers Falling in Love”
The still new-to-me The Penthouse Plants continues to impress with their second single of 2025, following February’s “The End of Anna”. “Strangers Falling in Love” rides a steady, thumping beat—no flashy synths, just a solid groove. But it succeeds largely in the chorus, which stretches the word “straaaaangers” into a forceful, instantly memorable melody.
8. Dancing Plague – “Turn to Dust”
The secret sauce behind Dancing Plague’s unique brand of industrial-tinged darkwave is the sharp contrast between high-pitched synth patter and Conor Knowles’ deep, cavernous vocals. “Turn to Dust” revels in that dynamic while exploring personal turmoil with punishing percussion and emotional heft.
7. Dunkelwald – “Communicate”
If you partied through the progressive house era of DJs Junior Vasquez and Peter Rauhofer, you’re gonna love this one. Spanish duo Dunkelwald transport me straight back to peak NYC club nights with a staccato synth riff that knocks “Communicate” into serious overdrive. Thrilling programming—laser blasts included—combines with rapid-fire vocal bursts for maximum dancefloor hellraising.
6. BLACKBOOK – “Eternal Glory”
Swiss duo BLACKBOOK remain a constant presence in these monthly countdowns, steadily dropping bangers at an impressive pace. But some of my favorite BLACKBOOK moments occur when they try new things—like slowing down the tempo and adding saxophone on last year’s deep album cut “Beautiful Lies.” On “Eternal Glory,” their fourth and counting single of 2025, they incorporate a choir for the first time and give it a big stuttering effect that injects the track with enormous energy.
5. X Marks the Pedwalk – “Light Your Mind”
Since their 2010 comeback album Inner Zone Journey, X Marks the Pedwalk have breathed fresh life into the project with traditional synthpop arrangements and lovely vocal melodies. “Light Your Mind,” the first taste of a 2025 album, pushes their sound even further into shimmering electropop. Bubbling synths burst with effervescent charm, while Sevren Ni-Arb’s uplifting vocals glide atop a steady, buoyant rhythm.
4. Rotersand – “Private Firmament (I Fell for You)”
You never know what to expect from German icons Rotersand. They’ve sampled Doctor Who on their club classic “Exterminate Annihilate Destroy,” blasted Renaissance horns on 2019’s “You Know Nothing”—now they’ve dropped a big rumba breakdown into their new track “Private Firmament (I Fell for You).” It’s frenetic, unexpected, and gets your body moving.
3. BlakLight – “Buried Alive”
“Buried Alive” is the sound of a band running on all cylinders. California trio BlakLight, gearing up to release their next album, deliver a song about obsession that finds Brian Belknap’s songwriting as razor-sharp as ever—I especially love the lyrical interplay between “This obsession is keeping me buried alive” and “This obsession is keeping me barely alive.” Adam Collier and Omar Quiñones supply the intricate blips and bleeps that keep the track pulsing. If every song on the upcoming album is this intriguing, it could be one of the year’s best.
2. Sleek Teeth – “Same”
California duo Sleek Teeth return with their first new song since last year’s self-titled EP—and since I named them best new artist of 2024. “Same” proves the honor was spot-on. The song’s whispery vocals add mystery and intrigue, but what really generates drama is a smashing hi-hat that pummels into the chorus every time the band sings the line “same.”
1. Bootblacks – “Can You Feel It? (Anymore)”
It’s hard to pick a favorite from Bootblacks’ incredible new album because it’s stacked with bangers. Like the other songs from this new era of Bootblacks, “Can You Feel It? (Anymore)” blends synths and guitars into carefully orchestrated chaos that feels rich and complex, never cluttered. Panther Almqvist’s vocals paint a vivid portrait of destitute nightlife, and there’s even a saxophone that bashes into the back half. It’s an intricately crafted soundscape—and it’s absolute perfection.
