February will have also been marked with the end of Dreampunk’s pioneering Dream Catalogue Label, who closed shop right after sharing a treasure chest full of outstanding records by promising newcomers and seasoned scene veterans alike. For slick outrun and Synthwave enthusiasts, LAU will have dominated this month with her debut album Believer, whose catchy tunes will have you yearning for the day these songs will finally get a chance to hit the stage. For those with the spare time to dig and dwell into the Bandcamp’s dizzying depths for some postmodern, non-euclidian music, February proved to be a fairly interesting month. Vaporwave is still alive and weird, as you’ll certainly listen to find out in this month’s curated selection. Enjoy!

Top Picks

LAU – Believer

(Aztec Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Natsukime – Ikigai

(Self-Released)

Stream on Bandcamp

Twin Galaxxies – Imminent Reversal

(Pure Life)

Stream on Bandcamp

CRYOSAUNA – Grid Failure

(No Problema Tapes)

Stream on Bandcamp

John Carpenter – Lost Themes III

(Sacred Bones)

Stream on Spotify

Fury Weekend – Signals

(Fixt Neon)

Stream on Bandcamp

Niky Nine – Black Sharken

(Lazerdiscs Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Yoshimi – 11 Pieces of Fragmented Memories

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

空手王 – IKARI​​-​​蒸気波LP III

(Karate King Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Eulalie – A Day at the Videodrome

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Singles & Honorable Mentions

Daria Danatelli (feat. Vincenzo Salvia) – Не Забуду / Io Non Dimentico

(Sunlover Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Formula 2080 – Cassetter

(FixT Neon)

Stream on Bandcamp

Electric Youth – Modern Fears (Pilotpriest Come True Edition)

(Sony)

Stream on Spotify

FNKY NGHT – LOVE STORIES VOL.2

(Virtual Sound System)

Stream on Bandcamp

WDE – Codex

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Hong Kong Express – L.Y.F.

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Tito Machete – Sindrome di Standa

(Power Lunch)

Stream on Bandcamp

Sun Corp – Replacement

(No Problema)

Stream on Bandcamp

Sport 3000 & Waterfront Dining – StarTour Agencies

(My Pet Flamingo)

Stream on Bandcamp

POPCULTR – 2021LIVE

(Pacific Plaza Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Eccodroid – Dematerialize

(Business Casual)

Stream on Bandcamp

Signals is now available on Bandcamp and Spotify.

Rising from the still-warm molten slag of the former Iron Curtain is Molchat Doma with “S Krish Nashih Domov” – simply put, one of the best new albums from this brutal 2017.

Hailing from Minsk, the capital and most populous city Belarus, Molchat Doma is a three piece group featuring the sullen vocals of Egor Shkutko, the endlessly nostalgic synth and guitar of Roman Komogortsev, and the melancholic, inspiring bass work from Pavel Kozlovskiy. Molchat Doma roughly translates to “Houses are Silent,” and “S Krish Nashih Domov” to “From the Roofs of our Houses.”

“S Krish Nashih Domov” or “From the Roofs of our Houses” is a lo-fi, Eastern European take on an expert blend of post-punk, new wave and synthpop – with just a dash of 80’s style darkwave for good measure.

This Molchat Doma sound is a virtuoso mix of dreary Alphaville synthwork, schizophrenic New Order drums with darker, even more reverberating New Order vocals and the most nostalgic strings of The Cure – peppered with a robust personality of all three and steeped in unknown eastern vibes that could only originate from soviet-era synth influences.

This is no exaggeration – almost every track on this album feels iconic in a familiar, but also foreign way. Although it is sung entirely in Slavic, the sad, nostalgic themes still resonate deeply – the sonic accomplishment surpassing language itself.

My top tracks: “doma molchat,” “tishina,” “krishi,” “lyudi nadoyeli,” “technologiya,” “pryatki,” and “ya ne kommunist.” A special thanks to my friend Sklenka, for introducing me to this  fantastic new (old) sound.

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