#dark synthpop

"Void" by Stann Creek District, Belize-based dark synthpop act Dead Astronauts off of their 2024 album Ghosts

Each of us in our lives has encountered darkness, which has many faces and leaves indelible traces in the soul. Some try to avoid it and others strive to meet it, but no one has ever managed to avoid meeting it. Sometimes we plunge into this darkness to find ourselves, and in these moments our vulnerability becomes absolute. Looking into its depths, we begin to see the light even in the darkest corners of our consciousness. We willingly accept all the challenges that come our way. https://band.link/ivomrake

I Never Understood by Topographies

Self-titled song by Mexican experimental postpunk, synthpop, witch house, and darksynth band SheUsedToBeHuman. I never thought I’d hear a trad goth bassline and autotune used in the same song.

Over the weekend, I managed to find time to watch a new Italian series on Netflix named Baby. I figured it was only six episodes long, and it sounded like it might be my kind of thing, being a gritty teen tale with dark topics inspired by a true story. Though the show ended up decent but not brilliant, being not quite dark and twisted enough for my tastes, I was very much fond of its soundtrack because it was loaded with a whole lot of dark synthwave and Italo-disco. After listening to Sydney trio GAUCI and their brand of sharp pulsing Italo-disco and opaque synthpop on new single Paradise, I’m much convinced that the next season of Baby needs to consider them for their soundtrack. Paradise is a luscious and lavish swathe of icy synths and enchanting vocals. The band shares: “Paradise is about those fleeting moments of solitude in the first moments of waking up when the external anxieties of life haven’t had time to settle in.” Paradise is the band's first release of 2018, following their debut single Hurry and follow up Taking Over, both of which received heavy rotation on FBi Radio in Australia and loads of praise from triple j unearthed. I dallied on their Soundcloud page for an extended amount of time after falling for Paradise, falling head over heels for the remix they did for fellow Australian artist Hatchie. Stream their darkwavey electronic/Italo-disco version of Hatchie’s Try below. It’s a total 180 from the original’s dreamy, gauzy indie.  The remix can be found on the Japanese edition of Hatchie’s Sugar and Spice EP.  GAUCI is working on their own debut EP for 2019. New single Paradise is availble on iTunes, here.