The Top 10 Synthwave Albums of 2022:

10. Nosebleed (Deluxe) by Midnight Drift

9. Ultrasound by A.L.I.S.O.N & Hotel Pools

8. Heroes by The Midnight

7. The Textorcist OST by Gost

6. Triangle Unicode by We Are Magonia

5. Lovers Lake by Lovers Lake

4. I by Voyage

3. AKUMA 3 by ALEX & TOKYO ROSE

2. (Tie) In Motion I & II by Memorex Memories

2. (Tie) Tortured Waters by DEADLIFE

1. Sentimental by Miami Nights 1984

Honorable Mentions

(In No Particular Order)

In Search of Tomorrow (Original Documentary Soundtrack) – by Various Artists

Forgotten Shapes by Waveshaper

Payback by Neon Nox

Synth City by All the Damn Vampires

Distorted Memories by Lucy In Disguise

Below is the list of our top 10 collaborations from this year from some of the best acts in the scene….

10. Dreamreaper & MAGNAVOLT – BLOODRAVE

9. Earmake & Stilz – Artifact Hunt

8. ALEX & Mono Memory – SOCIAL MEDIOCRITY

7. Futurecop! – Home (feat. Parallels)

6. Fury Weekend & Ollie Wride – Soul Survivor

5. All the Damn Vampires – I Can’t Go (feat. Mint Simon & Sunglasses Kid)

4. DRYVE – 80s Song (feat. Cassiopeia)

3. Josh Dally & Timecop1983 – Take Me Back

2. PYLOT – Invisible (feat. Ezra Hyte)

1. Miami Nights 1984 – Only When It’s Dark (feat. Gunship)

You remember the days… Bringing out a VHS tape, no label, placing it into the VCR, pressing play, the video instantly sparks up on the screen shooting the image, just in time, a glitch-wobbling-pixelated screen full of rich analogue warmth. A Sci-Fi tape delay, a long time between dreams, cells bleached in violet lights.

ACCELERATED starts with an unstable stab of chords, blissful basses roll in atop of neon laced pads, electric arps and a harsh slap-bass so sharp it bleeds.

An alternate version of the 80’s, lit in neon future-cyber-punk aesthetics. The inhabitant’s half-human, half-plastic, masks worn over faces to protect them from the rising synthetic smog. Chrome and neon covering the soundscape, plastic adorning the bodies of the people, over chests, over eyes and mouth and ears.  They look barely human.

Before long an arpeggio lead twinkles skyward whilst the drums snap and pop, a mid song drum breakdown and your face is turned towards the past, of all of what went before whilst the storm of sound irresistibly propels you into the future from which your back is turned.

MN84 is a short intro track, the opening scene of a movie with menace and promise and hope – a journey through pink neon lights glossing over the cracked concrete, the dirt and fumes of the streets rising up to the luminescent sky.

A synthesized Xylophone effect stirs up tubular bells, lush Juno sequences and dreamy keys meander into a late night groove. The cinematic melodics, uplifting pads, outrun Arps, poly-driven pads all blend to create eerie and tense sequences.

The late-night leads make you feel what it is to cruise downtown LA three decades too late.

More than anything it sounds like the opening to an 80’s buddy cop movie that was never made but you’d give anything to see.