Last year is going to be a tough act to follow. Several beloved veterans of the dark music scene released monumental albums in 2023. Just look at the names on my year-end countdown: VNV Nation, Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Neuroticfish, mind.in.a.box.
The biggest act missing from last year’s most anticipated list is The Cure. At this point, I’m convinced that long-awaited new album is never coming out. For this year’s list, I’ve decided not to include The Cure, along with a handful of others who have appeared on the list several times. The disappointment is just too great.
This year, I’m sticking (mostly) with sure things. The acts listed below have either posted on social media that a new album is on the way or told me personally that they’re planning to release one this year.
With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, I’m excited to present the most anticipated synthpop albums (and a few EPs) of 2024. These are in alphabetical order by artists’ names.
Ashbury Heights
Title: Ghost House Sessions Vol. 1
Release date: TBA
Since 2020, the dark synthpop act Ashbury Heights has been cranking out phenomenal singles that belong to a project called Ghost House Sessions. We’re still waiting for an official release date, but they’ve unveiled the cover art, which suggests that a release is imminent. Notably, its title now includes Vol. 1, and the band says they’ve already written enough material for a second volume.
Beyond Border
Title: Gathering
Release date: January 26
German duo Beyond Border is gearing up to release a new album called Gathering that forms the second part of their Welcome to the Future trilogy they began with 2021’s Awakening. The album features a number of guests artists, including j:dead and Luzi Lacole from Toal. For more info, read my interview with Beyond Border.
Beyond Obsession
Title: Kings of Ashes
Release date: January
Another German duo, Beyond Obsession, also releases their next album, Kings of Ashes, this month. We’ve already heard the title track and an amazing new single called “I Can’t Tell” that offers rich, memorable vocals and vibrant synth riffs. If the rest of the album is anything like this, it should be great.
Black Nail Cabaret
Title: Chrysanthemum
Release date: March 1
Hungarian dark synthpop act Black Nail Cabaret have revealed details of their sixth studio album. Chrysanthemum will retain the duo’s BDSM-tinged eroticism while exploring “the primal, subconscious fear of death that triggers emotions, anxiety, and the fear of letting go.” They’ve just unveiled the album’s second single: “Roadtrip.”
BlakLight
Title: The Haunting of Us
Release date: TBA
California’s BlakLight was incredibly busy in 2023. They released a remix album, a handful of singles, and an instrumental-ish album, not to mention performed at Absolution Fest and other shows. It’s no wonder their third official album is delayed, but the band promises me it’s coming this year.
Bootblacks
Title: Paradise
Release date: TBA
I’m most familiar with Bootblacks via their frequent partnership with ACTORS. But the New York band has made a couple of big changes that have snagged my attention. Their new lineup is moving in a synth-heavy direction. Paradise, Bootblacks’ fifth album, is coming this year. We’ve already heard two tracks: “Forbidden Flames” and “Wilderness.”
Cyberaktif
Title: eNdgame
Release date: February 2
The short-lived industrial trio Cyberaktif—consisting of Front Line Assembly’s Bill Leeb and Skinny Puppy’s Cevin Key and the late Dwayne Goettel—released one classic album, Tenebrae Vision, in 1993, then promptly returned to their other projects. More than 30 years later, they’re back. Rhys Fulber joins the project’s resurrection, and what we’ve heard so far is classic industrial. I know some purists are going to complain this isn’t synthpop, but IDGAF.
Dead Cool
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
North Carolina duo Dead Cool are making big waves in the dark music scene. They’ve just returned from performing at a New Year’s party at the world famous Slimelight in London. They’re working on a full-length album set for release this year that I suspect will include last year’s breakout track, “Stranger Kind.”
Deus Ex Lumina
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
In 2023, darkwave artist Deus Ex Lumina released a new track nearly every month—every one of them a jam. Their big outsiders’ anthem “Fight Back” made my list of the year’s best songs. Deus Ex Lumina recently joined the Cold Transmission record label, who will be releasing their debut album this year.
Ghost Cop
Title: Trouble
Release date: TBA
Ghost Cop blew me away with last year’s “A Shot in the Dark,” which I included on my list of the year’s best songs for its menacing electronic beats and elegant vocals. I’m eager to hear a full album of that. The duo tells me they’re working on an album with the working title, Trouble. It should be out around mid-year.
Kanka + Bodewell
Title: Stroboscope
Release date: February 9
Near the end of 2022, a new project named Kanka + Bodewell released an absolute smash called “Believe” that’s still in heavy rotation at my house. If those names sound familiar, it’s because they’re veterans of the dark music scene—Uwe Kanka is part of Armageddon Dildos, and Martin Bodewell belongs to Orange Sector. They’ll release their debut album as a duo next month.
KUNT
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
In November, I named Swedish duo KUNT the best new synthpop act of 2023 based on their extraordinary blend of electropop melody and punk attitude. They’ve released a handful of songs, including the fiery “Jericho Stand,” but still to come is their debut full length, which has the working title of Disco Exorcism.
MATTE BLVCK
Title: Vows
Release date: July
Among the many live shows I saw in 2023, one of my favorites was MATTE BLVCK. In fact, I saw them twice—and both times they blew my mind with their command of incredible percussion. The San Diego trio will release their sophomore album this year. Prior to its release, they’ll drop a handful of singles, including the just released title track, “Vows.”
Neon Space Men
Title: Neon On My Naked Skin
Release date: February 16
German trio Neon Space Men make spirited, 80s-flavored synthpop that lives near the intersection of science-fiction and cultural issues. Next month, they’ll unveil their debut album, Neon On My Naked Skin. It should include their catchy hit, “Twisted Mind,” which features a well-placed Blade Runner sample.
Night Club
Title: Masochist
Release date: March 15
Night Club, the dark electronic music duo from Los Angeles, is poised to follow-up their 2020 album, Die Die Lullaby, with further adventures in throbbing beats and sinister topics. “Crime Scene,” the first single from their upcoming Masochist album, arrived in early January.
Pale Meridians
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
International trio Pale Meridians is one of the most promising new acts in synthpop. They’ve only released a few songs so far, including an unexpected but sensational cover of the KISS classic, “I Was Made for Loving You.” They tell me they’re hoping to finish their debut album this year.
Priest
Title: Dark Pulse
Release date: April 5
Swedish synthpop act Priest had a busy touring schedule in 2023—I finally got the chance to see them live, and it was magnificent fun. Somehow, they found time to record their fourth album, which they’ve named Dark Pulse. We’ve already heard the album’s first single, last year’s “Burning Love,” which amps up the techno energy.
Project Pitchfork
Title: Elysium
Release date: March 28
The long-awaited next album from dark electro titans Project Pitchfork finally arrives in March. Elysium will complete a trilogy they began in 2018 with a pair of albums, Akkretion and Fragment. Press notes for the album call it “the music of the stars.”
Rotersand
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
Starting with 2021’s “Grey,” the beloved German act Rotersand has dropped a handful of singles that hint at a darker, heavier club sound for their seventh full-length. The latest track, this month’s “16 Devils,” comes with a promising note: “another harbinger of the next Rotersand album.”
Teledeath
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
New York’s Teledeath is one of my favorite emerging artists in the scene for the way he melds diverse influences from across the dark music spectrum. In 2023, Teledeath released a half-dozen singles. This year, he’s cooking up a three-song concept EP that will likely be out in February, followed by more singles and another EP out by summer. Teledeath will also make its live debut this year.
e:Lect
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
Swedish duo e:lect has risen to the upper echelon of women-powered synthpop acts, and they’re far more prolific than their contemporaries in projects like Client and Marsheaux. They’ve been cranking out sublime singles, including last year’s “It Doesn’t Matter,” which will appear on their third album, coming this year from the influential Danish label Town And Towers Records.
Tobias Bernstrup
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
Swedish synthpop artist and dark Italo maestro Tobias Bernstrup is working on the follow-up to his 2021 album, Petrichor. We’ve already heard two songs, “Legend” and “Chiaroscuro.” A third one called “All the Smile” is coming next month. The new album, yet to be named, will be Tobias Bernstrup’s seventh studio album.
TR/ST
Title: TBA
Release date: TBA
One of the most innovative artists in the dark synth scene is Robert Alfons’ TR/ST, whose The Destroyer Pt. 1 was my top album of 2019. TR/ST recently joined Dais Records, home to other top-notch acts like Kite and Drab Majesty. He’s already released his first single on the label, a song called “Robrash.” An EP and more are coming in 2024.
Urban Heat
Title: The Tower
Release date: TBA
One of the most promising new acts in the darkwave scene is Austin trio Urban Heat. They’re touring constantly with slots at big music festivals like Cruel World. They’re also regularly dropping singles, including a glorious cover of the goth club classic, “Goodbye Horses.” In 2024, they’ll release their sophomore album, The Tower.
Video L’Eclipse
Title: Begin-Repress-Depart
Release date: February 24
In 2021, Swedish synthpop duo Vidéo L’Eclipse released one of the best debuts I’ve heard in ages, an album called Predicts. So I’m eager to hear its follow-up. They’ve already unveiled two elegant songs from the next album, which is called Begin-Repress-Depart. “Signals” came out in 2022, and last year’s “Almost There” appeared near the top of my best songs list.
