My coverage of the year’s best music continues with a focus on the visual medium: the best synthpop music videos of 2024.
So far, I’ve shared the year in quotes and the year in cover songs. Next week, I’ll announce my favorite new artist of the year and start the countdown of 2024’s best songs. But first, let’s watch the videos.
Here are my favorite synthpop music videos of the year.
10. Solar Fake – “Not So Important”
On this track from their 2024 album Don’t Push This Button!, Solar Fake tackle a subject near and dear to my heart: animal rescue. Sven Friedrich sings as abandoned dogs, cats, even bunnies wander the countryside. The video is equal parts touching and heartbreaking. But don’t worry, it ends on a hopeful note. While the song was probably written about human relationships, the visuals add a poignant new layer.
9. Urban Heat – “Sanitizer”
“Sanitizer” may not be my favorite track from Urban Heat’s 2024 album, but its sharp lyrics about emotional surgery (“Your operating table needs a sanitizer hit”) offer an unmistakable opportunity for vivid imagery. The band leans into the theme with a literal take in their music video, which finds them in a hospital setting, dressed in scrubs, tossing around human hearts. Eventually, their patients start dancing. It’s campy, memorable, a bit unhinged.
8. Male Tears – “Talk to Me”
Male Tears bring their colorful makeup aesthetic to life in an incredibly surreal video for “Talk to Me.” Set at a house party overflowing with late 20th-century nostalgia—vintage video game consoles, chunky home phones—it features a quirky yet unsettling marionette motif. The band members appear attached to strings. Imagine if New Romantic icons like Steve Strange met ’90s Club Kids like James St. James for the weirdest home sleepover ever.
7. Whorticulture – “Faust”
For their song ‘Faust,’ Whorticulture weave mesmerizing synth riffs and industrial soundscapes into a gothic tale inspired by the classic story of a man who makes a pact with the devil. Naturally, the visuals embrace the theme, featuring the duo as pale-faced Victorian vampires with long black hair, performing in a creepy old house. It’s a perfect blend of eerie subject matter and haunting imagery.
6. Ghost Cop – “Problems”
Ghost Cop create music steeped in haunting, eerie atmospheres influenced by horror and cult films. So it’s no surprise their video for “Problems” feels like a mini horror flick. The video features a mysterious figure rifling through a home while wearing a bizarre plastic mask that resembles a ’20s pinup doll—Betty Boop as a serial killer. Incidentally, they bought the mask on eBay for $18.82. Its unsettling vibe and sharp visuals landed “Problems” in Utah’s HorrorFest International film festival.
5. CZARINA – “Empire”
CZARINA continues to push the boundaries of visual artistry in the dark music scene. The music video for “Empire” blends the folkloric visuals of her previous work, Arcana, with the sci-fi themes of her new album. Set against the breathtaking landscapes of Galicia, Spain, the video introduces futuristic elements inspired by robotech animes like Gundam and Evangelion, along with nods to James Cameron’s Aliens dropship and the floating islands of Avatar. The result is a stunning, self-made epic that showcases CZARINA’s boundless creativity while paying homage to the stories that shaped her.
4. Black Nail Cabaret – “Teach Me How to Techno”
Black Nail Cabaret merge two vibrant underground worlds in their “Teach Me How to Techno” video. Fusing the goth and ballroom scenes, the video celebrates voguing, an art form that originated in Harlem’s Black and Latin trans and queer communities. It has spread across the globe thanks to the documentary “Paris Is Burning,” TV shows like “Pose” and “Legendary,” and, of course, Madonna’s iconic hit “Vogue.” Featuring voguers from the Kiki House of Bandita—Bulgaria’s first vogue house—this video is a stunning celebration of culture and creativity. As someone obsessed with vogue dance videos, watching these subcultures come together in such a majestic way feels magical.
3. Normal Bias – “Falling Down”
Normal Bias, a new duo comprised of Matt Weiner (TWINS) and Chris Campion (Multiple Man), make what they call industrial body funk—a blend of funky beats and slinky electronics rooted in classic EBM. Their video for “Falling Down” features a seamlessly edited horizontal scroll set against a stark white backdrop, which creates the illusion of a single take. Dressed in black for maximum contrast, the duo radiates cool-guy charisma. It’s a simple but striking visual that complements the song’s infinite energy.
2. Sleek Teeth – “Endless”
Sleek Teeth take a cinematic approach to their “Endless” video, which features a fully realized storyline, on-set locations, even special effects. Notably, that’s band members Josh and Vox as the male leads. Taking cues from the vampire classic The Lost Boys, the story begins at a theme park, then takes an unexpected turn into the supernatural. Its grainy, found-footage cinematography nods to The Blair Witch Project. For an emerging act with just a few songs under their belt, the video offers a remarkably strong accompaniment to the band’s moody, sinister sound.
1. Pet Shop Boys – “A New Bohemia”
Pet Shop Boys enlist acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh to create a mini-movie for “A New Bohemia.” In just a few scenes, Haigh beautifully captures the experience of finding your people and rediscovering your joy. Casting Russell Tovey as a roller disco rep is a lovely added bonus. The video elevates the song with moving, memorable visuals that transform a perfectly fine track into an unforgettable LGBTQ anthem for those of us who’ve outgrown the club scene but still know how to have a bit of fun.
