Summer is in full swing and the Indie Discotheque crew is enjoying the pools, beaches, and sunshine. The music we’re bringing you this month is for those of you with fast cars on hot asphalt, or pleasure cruising along winding seaside roads. Let’s get into it!
1. Voyage – Hyper
The chill synth movement is in full swing and this month it’s this piece from Voyage that has my attention. With a beat that brings momentum and a soothing complexity in the song’s arrangement, “Hyper” deserves to top this month’s list.
2. Arcade High – Radio feat. Slyleaf
The distortion applied to the synth at the beginning of the track immediately grabbed my attention, but “Radio” is a track with some true pop sensibility. Slyleaf’s vocal performance brings joy to the track that wouldn’t shine through otherwise.
3. Gemini Rising – Morph
Fast-paced and just the right amount of moodiness, this is a modern theme for those of us who like to dance in dark, minimalistic rooms with a bit of alternative attitude. Gemini Rising maintains clarity in the production of this track that truly sets it apart.
4. Pelicandy – White Sky
The latest from Pelicandy is a synthpop jam that has enough variation to keep it interesting but enough repetitiveness to make it a dance floor sing-along anthem. The guitar solo has a fantastic distortion applied to it that helps it mesh with the synth textures across the track.
5. Electric Youth – The Life
I’ve been in love with Electric Youth for so long when they release new music my heart flutters a bit. This means I absolutely have to include “The Life” in this list, not that it shouldn’t be here otherwise because it’s a beautifully arranged piece with a stellar vocal performance.
6. Drab Majesty – Long Division
Becoming one of my absolute favorite alternative dance artists over the last few years, Drab Majesty returns with a new album and my favorite track of the collection titled, “Long Division.” This is a song for singing along in a smoke-filled room with a strobe.
7. FM Attack – Mixed Emotions feat. Vandal Moon
New music from FM Attack is always great, but it’s his work with Vandal Moon that I find myself gravitating to. This month we are treated to “Mixed Emotions,” featuring music arranged with sound and synth textures that stay true to the song title.
8. Nicolaas – Real Escape
This track is so bouncy, and I am absolutely giddy over the synth and vocal processing used across the production of this track. I feel like we all deserve the kind extravagant, out of reach adventures that Nicolaas proposes to us throughout the song.
9. Sferro – Modular Origami feat. Mecha Maiko
There was a moment of panic for me a year or so ago when Sferro suggested they were not making any more music, and I am so glad that idea never came to fruition. The latest track, “Modular Origami” featuring Mecha Maiko is so beautifully layered between the voice and synths.
10. Smallpools – SYCS
I feel like we don’t get this kind of synth-heavy music, delivered in the style of a rock song, much anymore, and that’s a shame. “SYCS” is a song that has the right textures in the right places, and an intensity that makes you want to pump your fists in the air.
11. ShePastAway – Durdu Dunya
ShePastAway brings us our monthly dose of perfectly produced arpeggiated synth texture. It’s a style of Depeche Mode and New Order inspired greatness that always manages stays relevant across the years, perfect for dark dance floors everywhere.
12. Andreas Rund – Spectre
Droning synth textures behind crisp percussion that has just the right amount of industrial distortion applied? Yes, please. Andreas Rund has crafted a track that takes me back to the heyday of Front Line Assembly. The twinkling arpeggiation in the foreground keeps my head bobbing.
13. Juno Dreams – Echo
An upbeat and uplifting piece from Juno Dreams, with dreamy guitar work, laid bare across a bed of layer upon layer of synth. The echo effects applied across the track keep your imagination swirling among sonic waves of warm light. An absolutely stellar piece!
14. Vast Hill – Oblivion
The vocal performance in this great piece of synthpop is what pulled me in. It’s similar in style to the music of Sally Shapiro, a band I loved years ago and a sound I’m happy to have more of. The synth work is catchy and adds a lot over the simple percussion of the song.
15. Beca Dreams – #1 Crush
There are many covers of this Garbage classic, but this version sets itself apart by adding additional moodiness through its synth-only approach. There is a minimal amount of guitar in this version, and the vocal performance, while a bit more sterile than the original, meshes very well with the arrangement of the music.
