Category: Synth Pop

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Ohio’s SUMMORE Shares Eerie and Brooding “Magic Pill”

Central Ohio-based synth pop duo SUMMORE — Julie (vocals, lyrics) and Justin (synths, production) specialize in a a brooding and hypnotic sound: Their brighter sounds are often laced with hidden meanings and darker interpretations just beneath the surface. Their darkest and most bleak material often have brief moments of optimism that help to create an emotional balance that opens them up to a state of meditation, self-reflection and healing.

Last September, after playing a packed house at an intimate venue in Columbus, the duo stopped for a late night bite. As they sat parked, a drunk driver lost control, became airborne and hit them like a missile. The impact blasted the drop from one side of the parking lot to the other within a second and changed their lives — except for one constant: their love and dedication for creating music.

They boldly continued. In spite of everything, including long-term injuries both physical and emotional, they found enough strength through their recovery to chronicle their harrowing personal experience on their sophomore album New Pain.

New Pain‘s latest single is the brooding and atmospheric “Magic Pill.” Featuring glistening synth oscillations, atmospheric electronics, skittering trap triplets, “Magic Pill” is an eerie soundscape built for Julie’s plaintive and ethereal vocal. The result is a song that brings Soft Metals‘ 2013 effort Lenses to mind but full of palpable unease.

Directed by the duo, the accompanying video features the duo brooding and longing for a magic pill that would take their pain — both physically and mentally — away forever.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Sweden’s Split Vision Shares Decidedly 8os Inspired “The Fire Within”

Swedish synth pop outfit Split Vision — currently Dan Hansson and Henric Palmqvist — formed back in 1985, when four Kristianstad-based high schoolers, who were influenced by Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Pet Shop Boys started the band.

The quartet quickly developed a sound that they described as melodic, dance floor friendly synth pop, which they began playing live: They played several live shows in Northeastern Skåne, radio shows and talent shows. And by 1988, they signed to Platina Records, who released their single “How Will I Ever.”

After some intense and difficult years, the band split up. But in the spring of 2019, the band’s Hansson and Palmqvist decided to revive the band, with the goal of writing new material with a clear and deep connection to their 80s roots.

2020’s Among The Stars, their first full-length album in 30 years, saw the Swedish synth pop outfit actively giving listeners a decidedly retro experience — and to recreate the sound that they’ve strived for back in the 80s.

The duo’s latest effort, Elements EP was released earlier this year. The EP’s latest single “The Fire Within” is a decidedly 80s-inspired synth pop song built around glistening synth arpeggios, thumping boom bap-like beats paired with a yearning vocal. But underneath the slick production is earnest lyricism paired with deliberate attention to craft and some razor sharp, catchy hooks.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: JOVM Mainstays L’Impératice Teams Up with Cuco on a Woozy Bop

Rising Paris-based electro pop sextet L’Impératice — founder Charles de Boisseguin (keys), Hagni Gown (keys), David Gaugué (bass), Achille Trocellier (guitar), Tom Daveau (drums) and Flore Benguigui (vocals) — formed back in 2012. And in a relatively short period of time, they quickly developed a reputation for being extremely prolific: Within their first three years together, they released 2012’s self-titled debut EP, 2014’s Sonate Pacifique EP and 2015’s Odyssée EP. 

Back in 2016, the Parsian sextet released a re-edited, remixed and slowed down version of Odyssée, L’Empreruer, inspired by a fan mistakenly playing a vinyl copy of Odyssée at the wrong speed. L’Impératice followed that up with a version of Odysseé featuring arrangements centered around violin, cello and acoustic guitar. During the summer of 2017, the Parisian electro pop act signed to microqlima records, who released that year’s Séquences EP. 

Their full-length debut, 2018’s Matahari  featured “Erreur 404,” which they performed on the French TV show Quotidien. They followed that up with an English language version of Matahari and 2021’s Renaud Letang co-produced sophomore album Taku Tsubo.

Deriving its name from the medical term for broken heart/takutsubo syndrome ((蛸 壺, from Japanese “octopus trap”). The condition usually manifests itself as deformation of the heart’s left ventricle caused by severe emotional or physical stress — i.e., the death of a loved one, an intense argument with someone you care about, a breakup, a sudden illness or the like. An untreated broken heart can actually kill you.

Cuco is a Hawthorne, CA-based electronic music producer and artist, whose early stage, earnest bedroom pop aesthetic seemed to immediately connect with audiences online. Home-recorded and then shared through Bandcamp and SoundCloud, his self-released efforts 2016’s Wannabewithu and 2018’s Chiquito EP featured relatable and catchy material in both English and Spanish that openly defied genre restraints with elements of mariachi, R&B and psychedelia helped him win over first generation Latin Americans and young fans of indie singer/songwriters.

As the play counts and stream counts increased, there was a greater demand for him to play live shows in front of increasingly larger crowds on tour and at festivals. “It’ll always be surreal to me,” he says. “I never take it for granted if I see so many people at one show, you know, I don’t know the next day that I’m gonna see that again; it’s always appreciated.”

With massive buzz surrounding him, Cuco wound up signing with Interscope, who released his full-length debut, 2019’s Para Mi. His sophomore album, last year’s Fantasy Gateway sees him pushing the envelope of his sound, presenting a new chapter of the young producer/artist’s career in which he takes risks to great results.

The Parisian JOVM mainstays recently teamed up with the rapidly rising producer and artist on “Heartquake,” a collaboration that can be traced back to when they all met during last year’s Coachella. “Heartquake” is a woozy yet breezy bop built around an expansive, mind-melting arrangement that begins with glistening and wobbling synth oscillations, twinkling keys and trap-like beats before briefly morphing into a slinky bit of disco funk before closing out with glistening and wobbling synth oscillations and trap beats . Throughout the song L’Impératice’s Flore Benguigui sings English lyrics with a bemused yet sultry sense of longing and desire.

“It’s the story of someone completely disconnected from their emotions who is on their usual peaceful bus ride one morning. And then, someone sits across from them, and suddenly, their brain freezes, and they fall to their knees, struck by a thunderbolt, a kind of Tako tsubo,” the members of L’Impératice explain. “It’s a sensation that shakes them to the core, and they’re not sure if they can survive it, but they desire it.” Cuco adds: “It’s a pleasure and honor to be working with my friends in L’Impératrice.” 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Stefan Certic Shares Atmospheric “Human”

Stefan Certic is a Serbian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and producer. His latest single “Human” featuring Steve Sims is a brooding and atmospheric bit of 80s-inspired synth pop featuring glistening synths melodies paired with shimmering strummed guitar, deep bass lines and sparse yet propulsive beats. While nodding at OMD and Eurythmics, “Human” is a remarkably cinematic track with melancholy and reflective lyrics discussing the human condition in a deeply lived-in fashion.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Mike Rogers Shares Anthemic and Urgent “Live Out Loud”

Amsterdam-based indie dance trio Mike Rogers features three of the country’s rising electronic music artists: Mike Mago, TWR72, and Kita Menari mastermind Micha de Jonge. The project can trace its origins two decades ago, back to the early 2000s: Mago and TWR72 met while DJ’ing Dutch underground electro parties. That raw and energetic scene saw the pair playing a mix of electro pop, French touch and French house, fidget and techno.

Naturally, as the years passed by, the pair individually developed their own unique sound and approaches — but they realized that they had long held a similar dream: to start a live act inspired by the bands they grew up with, as well as Miike Snow, Foals, Editors, Van She, and Goose among others. Mago and TWR72 started Mike Rogers as a way to challenge themselves creative and professionally, while further developing as producers and DJs. The duo then recruited Kita Menari’s Micha de Jonge, who contributes his big, plaintive vocals to their hook-driven, rousingly anthemic, crowd-pleasing sound.

The trio’s full-debut Live Out Loud is slated for release this year. The album reportedly sees the Dutch trio crafting material that’s a slick mix of analog, digital and retro sounds with a decidedly modern feel. During the album’s creative process, they all agreed that it felt like second nature for them to be bold and make big musical gestures without sensationalism. Interestingly, that creative approach wound up informing the album’s central thematic concern. “Why do people always have to choose between black and white?” The Dutch electro pop trio asks. “You don’t have to choose between extremes. You can be modest in your opinions but still live out loud!”

“Go out there and live in the moment. You don’t always have to choose sides. The music represents this throughout,” the trio add. “All styles from opposite sides are mixed to create a perfect balance in the middle or leave the listener with an ambiguous feeling. 

Last year, I wrote about album single “Can’t Stop,” an anthemic bit of post punk/dance punk built around angular guitar tack, de Jonge’s achingly plaintive delivery and a motorik groove paired with euphoria-inducing hooks. While sounding a bit like Radio 4, Interpol, and Editors, “Can’t Stop” as the trio explains is about a lonely man, who looks back at his life: As a young man, he tries to do everything right, but always feels as though he is failing since people don’t seem to understand him. Battling a personal struggle with his past, the lonely man protests against this feeling, with the hopes that he can get rid of those negative thoughts. 

Written in 2021, the trio explain, “In our minds that year was a year where we had a lot of questions. Like, what is freedom, what should one fight for, how should one fight for something, how do we move forward as a society and also, how do we judge our past behaviour. We believe questions are the biggest inspirator. We’re trying to ask questions more than to send a message, although that’s also a bit of a vision we want to share.” 

Live Out Loud‘s latest single, album title track “Live Out Loud” is a rousingly anthemic bop built around glistening synths, shimmering guitar lines that bring A Flock of Seagulls to mind and de Jonge’s earnest delivery paired with the Dutch trio’s unerring knack for enormous, rousingly anthemic, shout-along worthy choruses.

“The song was written during a period where, we felt, far sides of the political spectrum were very present,” Mike Rogers explains. “We wanted to motivate the group known as the silent middle to stand up for their (slightly more nuanced) thoughts/visions/ideas. We also wanted to seek overlap in standing up for your idea and being outgoing whilst losing oneself in the moment. We all have to live out loud more. If you don’t live life fully, you don’t live life at all. You have to live it out loud to make sense of it, because otherwise ‘you’ll never know what it’s all about.’ And if you know what it’s all about, you have to fight for it.” 

The trio adds “We encourage to ask questions out loud. To share your uncertainties out loud. To say, I don’t know, yet I care. To forgive out loud. To live out loud.”

Directed by Rens Polman, the accompanying video for “Live Out Loud” is a slick and trippy mix of A.I. that follows a series of characters escaping reality for a digitally processed world. “If you don’t live life fully you don’t live it,” the Dutch trio say. “You have to live it loud to make sense of it, because else ‘you’ll never know what it’s all about’. And if you know what it’s all about you have to fight for it. “‘Live Out Loud’ is about the current situation where social media and A.I. are increasingly taking over our lives. Reality is slowly being lost and we mainly experience happiness in the digital world. As a result of A.I. and social media, reality is becoming increasingly fused. However, we are experiencing it more and more as reality and getting further immersed in it. We are losing control over what it truly means to ‘really’ experience something. The digital world acts as a shot of dopamine. With the music video, we are demonstrating how people are literally being swallowed up by a fantasy world. A world that makes our brains happy. A world where we can experience everything we could possibly want. It is limitless. However, this is contrasted with the fact that we often forget about our own real lives. The life where we can truly experience things.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Altarviolet Shares Earnest and Urgent “SOS”

Colorado-based singer/songwriter Greta Hotmer may be best known for stints as the frontperson of The Moxy and Leo Moon, along with collaboration with friends and former bandmates, including Nick Bozzelli, CKY‘s Jess Margera and Carl Pannell. Hotmer’s solo recording project Altarviolet sees her blending the electronic sounds of her youth with organic and analogue-ish bass synths to create material that’s “part nostalgia, part futuristic . . . the kind of music you can dance, cry, and sing your beautiful face off to all at once,” as she puts it.

The Colorado-based artist’s latest single “SOS” is features ayers of glistening synth arpeggios, Hotmer’s achingly plaintive vocals, skittering beats and shout-along worthy hooks and choruses. While sonically bringing Tori Amos and Banks to mind, “SOS” is rooted in lived-in experience — and as a result, it captures a narrator seemingly at the end of her rope. “Most of my songs are born from processing difficult feelings . . . music therapy at its finest. This song reflects a chapter in my life where I felt like I was stuck in a cycle that wouldn’t break no matter how I tried to change the situation or change myself. It is an ode to a time that I am grateful to have found the courage to step away from” Hotmer says.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Lyfe Indoors Shares Slow-Burning and Woozy “Binary Crime”

Started back in 2014, the bedroom pop project Lyfe Indoors has received attention across both the cognoscenti and the blogosphere for a handful of self-released EPs and singles that see him pairing poetic lyricism, esoteric and alluring imagery with a synth-driven sound drawing from dream pop, shoegaze and New Wave.

Afer a brief hiatus, the rising bedroom pop producer returns with “Binary Crime,” the first single off a new and upcoming collection of tracks. Built around buzzing bass synths, skittering beats, whirring synth arpeggios paired with the rising bedroom producer’s plaintive, reverb-drenched delivery, “Binary Crime” is a slow-burning and woozily narcotic mix of shoegaze, dream pop and synth pop that’s rooted in pandemic era-related ennui.

“‘Binary Crime’ is a tune I wrote when feeling a bit lost in technology.  Post-covid, it’s a lot easier to be numb to everything online,” Lyfe Indoors explains.”That’s difficult and I wanted to make a song that exemplified that.  The lyrics are up for interpretation but at the end of it, everything is just 1’s and 0’s.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: The Heroic Enthusiasts Shares Blak Emoji’s Industrial Remix of “Still Life”

The Heroic Enthusiasts — multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Thomas Ferrera and vocalist and multi-instrumentalist James Tabbi — have celebrated careers as solo artists, producers, composers and multi-instrumentalists. The duo bonded over their mutual influences of Brit Pop, New Wave and post-punk. Additionally, their education in computational mathematics and mathematical statistics help to inform work that manages to deftly combine the intellectual and emotional.

Last year was a busy year for the synth pop duo: They released two EPs last year through Meridian/ECR Music Group — Fits and Fashions EP and Crimes and Passions EP. As the duo explains Fits and Fashions “provided and introduction and an opportunity to glimpse who we are as a band: one that pulls from 80’s-based nostalgia and turns into something modern.” The duo’s Thomas Ferrera explains that the first EP is essentially Side 1 of their forthcoming album. Crimes and Passions in contrasts with — and to compliment — the first EP is a collection of five inspired, spontaneous songs meant to take the listener on a journey that convey a multitude of emotions. Crimes and Passions is essentially Side 2 of the album.

“Still Life” appears on Crimes and Passions EP. Featuring glistening synth arpeggios, mathematically precise, propulsive four-on-the-floor and bursts of angular guitar paired with Tabbi’s expressive crooning and razor sharp hooks, “Still Life” manages to sound indebted to Pet Shop Boys, New Order, and Electronic. “The song is an imagining, a metaphor, of those aspects of a still-life painting reflected into a relationship,” The Heroic Enthusiasts’ Tabbi explains in press notes. “Two lovers feeling the lightness and darkness of love, feeling alive, knowing the feelings and emotions will ebb and flow, and sadly, someday end as all of nature does, in death.”

Recently, the duo recruited JOVM mainstay Blak Emoji to remix “Still Life,” that retains the vocal and razor sharp hooks of the original but pairs them with a club friendly, industrial-leaning production featuring enormous, tweeter and woofer rattling beats and buzzing synths. “’Still Life’ was my favorite song from the Crimes and Passions EP,” Blak Emoji says in press notes. “Soon as I heard it I felt I could contribute a bit more of an industrial pop edge sonically with respect to the original. I kept visualizing how it would sound on the dance floor of a goth club. Had a total blast with it and the Heroic guys are great people, period.”

“’Still Life’ was one of our first compositions for this two-EP collection,” The Heroic Enthusiasts’ Thomas Ferrara explains. “Its lyrical content can be interpreted in several ways, and melodically and sonically the same holds true. Blak Emoji translated the song and original track into his own voice that strikes a chord with both James and me. He may have awoken a sleeping giant. Thank you Blak Emoji.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Don’t Get Lemon Shares Groovy, 80s-Inspired “Blow-up”

Currently split between Austin and Houston, Don’t Get Lemon — Austin Curtis (vocals), Bryan Walters (bass, percussion) and Nick Ross (synth, guitar, drum programming) — is a dance pop outfit with a glam-leaning, synth-driven sound that draws from 70s Berlin and 80s Manchester.

Deriving its title from Michelangelo Antonioni’s swinging 1966 motion picture Blow-Up, the Texan trio’s latest single “Blow-Up” is a decidedly 80s Madchester/Manchester-inspired bop built around glistening synths arpeggios, Curtis’ ironically detached delivery, a motorik-like groove, angular guitar attack, and bursts of polyrhythm featuring bongo and electronic drums paired with bombastic hooks. The trio explain that the song, which features lyrics pierced together, borrowing from William S. Burroughs’ famed cut-up poetry technique and imagery inspired by David Lynch’s Blue Velvet is a “glimpse into the unseen dark.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Thunder Bae Shares Brooding and Atmospheric “Numb”

Thunder Bae is an emerging and rapidly rising singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and self-described “analog girl in a digital world.” Influenced by Pink Floyd, Sade, Kurt Cobain, Dire Straits, and Elton John, the rising artist aims to create a difficult to pigeonhole sound.

Her latest single, “Numb” is a slow-burning and brooding track built around atmospheric synths, a brief Dark Side of the Moon nod, a reverb-soaked beats paired with the rising pop artist’s sultry pop belter delivery and soaring, shout-along worthy hooks and choruses. Sonically, “Numb” reminds me quite a bit of JOVM mainstay ACES and others, while being rooted in lived-in, personal, yet deeply universal experience that’s lyrically captured with a disarming precision and honesty.

Written when the rising pop artist was going through a period of feeling numb, she intended to capture the essence of the experience. As Thunder Bae explains, the song carries a message “that numbness is not necessarily a good or bad feeling, since it deprives one of emotions. It’s a complex emotional state that deserves understanding and recognition.” She believes that listeners will find solace in the song, because it speaks directly to — and about — deep-seated emotions that they may be experiencing right this moment, while acknowledging that numbness is normal to feel at times. She adds that she hopes the song will empower the listener to emerge stronger from their struggles.

Directed by Agnieszka Oginski, Sönke Schmidt, and Natalie-Isabel Knopps, the accompanying video for “Numb” features the rising artist in the midst of a deep emotional and psychological struggle, helping to ground the song’s theme and lyrics in psychological realism.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Le Couleur Shares Sultry “Sentiments nouveaux”

Montreal-based trio Le Couleur — Laurence Giroux-Do (vocals). Patrick Gosselin (bass) and Steven Chouinard (drums) – – quick rose to prominence with a glittery electro pop sound seemingly influenced by Studio 54 with their earliest releases — 2013’s Voyage Love EP, 2015’s Dolce Désir and their critically applauded full-length debut, 2016’s P.O.P.

After sharing a stage with Giorgio Moroder, Moroder gave them some pertinent advice, which informed a decided change of approach as heard on the trio’s sophomore album, 2020’s Concorde, an album informed by vintage influences including 70s eroticism, psychedelia, disco, yéyé and French chanson among others.

The rising Canadian trio’s latest single “Sentiments nouveaux” is a sleek, slickly produced, languorous bop built around dense layers of glistening and wobbling synth arpeggios, skittering tweeter and woofer rattling thump paired with sultrily delivered vocals in French and English, a buzzing Tame Impala-like guitar solo, and the trio’s unerring knack for razor sharp hooks. Sonically, “Sentiments nouveaux” may arguably be the most 80s synth pop inspired song of their growing catalog, bringing Nu Shooz and others to mind.

“Sentiments nouveaux” is the first taste of a forthcoming album, slated for a fall release. Be on the lookout y’all.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay Sophie Colette Shares Breezy and Upbeat Anthem

Currently based in Richmond, VA, singer/songwriter, keyboardist. indie pop artist and JOVM mainstay Sophie Colette initially moved to New York to pursue fashion design. But she pivoted to music after being scouted at a high school reunion by The Party Faithful‘s bassist. As the story goes, about a month or so later, Colette was contributing vocals, keys and synths for The Party Faithful, playing at venues across town.

During that same period, she met singer/songwriter, musician, and Degraw Sound producer Ben Rice. Colette eventually showed Rice a stack of sketchbooks filled with lyrics and visual palettes. Those sketchbooks eventually spurred her work as a solo artist.

“Tonite” off Colette’s debut EP Strangers and Lovers was featured at Jasmine Chong’s runway presentations to the editors of Vogue, WWD, Elle and others during New York Fashion Week 2017. Selected footage from the Stephen Dirkes-directed music video for “Get Close” was nominated for Best Creative Concept, Art Direction and Visual Effects at the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival. She also supported the EP with a European tour with Berlin-based The Crystal Elephant.

Over the past couple of years, Colette has released a handful of singles that have received praise from my colleagues and dear friends at Glamglare, Adam’s World Blog — and of course, this site. Her work has also received airplay on French radio station Déclic Radio 101.1FM.

The JOVM mainstay’s latest single “Don’t Worry” is a breezy and uptempo, hook-driven anthem featuring a mix of live drumming and programmed beats paired with lush, twinkling keys, punchy syncopation and Colette’s achingly vulnerable delivery and lyrics. While rooted in the Richmond-based artist’s heart-worn-on-sleeve earnestness, “Don’t Worry” possesses an easy-going swagger. The song’s narrator is clearly feeling herself. But along with that confidence, the narrator is expressing her willingness to fight for the love they deserve — both from others and herself.

“I wanted to write a song I could dance to, to shake off negativity, and get myself out of bed to make that cup of coffee in the morning and get dressed,” Colette explains. “I needed it as my own antidote to loneliness and self doubt. It became a reminder that I could be my own cheerleader and push myself out of a funk.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Ninety’s Story Shares Sultry “Bad” feat. Ferdi and Béssau

With the release of their debut EP, 2017’s Kikuyu, which featured EP title track and debut single “Kikuyu” Nice-based indie act Ninety’s Story — childhood friends Guillaume Adamo and Florian Deyz — quickly established a sound and approach that’s fittingly inspired by Phoenix, Daft Punk and Air, and fittingly the French Riviera.

The duo, along with their backing band have opened for Archive, Morcheeba, Pale Waves and Puggy and a list of others. Adding to a growing profile, the duo wrote the music for a Citroën C4 Aircross ad campaign that aired in China —  with the band representing the company at the Paris and Hangzhou Motor Shows. 

Since then, the Nice-based JOVM mainstays have been busy releasing a handful of singles over the past couple of years, including:

  • The breezy and anthemic “APO”

  • The sultry, R&B-inflluenced “Home.” 

And a a Groover Obsessions‘ Les Capsules sessions at La Marbrerie that featured two songs:

  • “Heaven,” a slow-burning and brooding song that reminds me a bit of JOVM mainstays Ten Fe and Palace Winter: a deliberately crafted, anthemic song centered around expressive and bluesy guitars, shimmering synths, plaintive vocals and lived-in lyrics. 

  • “Ride,” a strutting bit of pop rock that — to my ears, at least — brings a slick synthesis of Steely Dan and Radiohead to mind. 

The French JOVM mainstays begin their 2023 with their latest single “Bad,” feat. Ferdi and Béesau which sees the band embracing a slickly produced synth pop-driven sound that seems equally inspired by The Weeknd, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy-era Kanye West, and 80s sophistipop — thanks in part to a soulful horn solo. Thematically, the song touches upon regret, longing and taking a desperate and much-needed leap of faith to keep a relationship on the verge going.

The song will appear on the duo’s forthcoming album, Tears and Laughter, which is slated for a Spring release.

Directed By Victor Rahman, the cinematically song visual for “Bad” starts with a woman walking around the shore before seeing her expressive dance along a windswept shore. The rest of the video is told through a series of flashbacks from a drunken night of revelry — and of regret.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Polar Mind Shares 80s Synth Pop-Inspired “Am I The One”

Polar Mind is a mysterious and enigmatic Swiss-born and-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, who can trace the origins of his musical project back to three years ago: The Swiss-born and-based artist was a scientist, who was part of a scientific expedition to Antarctica. Assigned to the Palaoa Research Station, where sounds from the sea are recorded and tracked, the mysterious Swiss artist lived as a hermit.

During his time at Palaoa Research Station, the Swiss artist listened to whales breathing and marveled when ice floes collide — around the clock. He became a local celebrity among the 4,000 scientists stationed in Antarctica when he made a surprising scientific discovery: He detected a pulsating bubble about a kilometer below the surface that emitted an unusual signal. An initial sample of the bubble reveals that it consists of ammonia, methane and hydrogen — all components that played an important role in Earth’s early days. In the gas mixture, small lightning bolts seem to be discharging, which allows the bubble wall to emit signal waves that appear to communicate with a yet to identifiable force.

According to the Swiss artist, teams of experts from different parts of the world are trying to recover the strange discovery because they suspect he stumbled upon something major. Others believe that his discovery is suspicious.

He becomes the pawn of various different interests and returns home to Switzerland, where he focuses on music full-time. “Am I The One,” Polar Mind’s remarkably cinematic debut single features glistening synth arpeggios, gated reverb drums and a sinuous paired with plaintive vocals and enormous hooks. While sounding indebted to 80s synth pop and New Wave the song is rooted in slick modern production, deliberate craftsmanship and earnest performance.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Stockholm’s Me & Melancholy Shares a Brooding Banger

Peter Ehrling is a Stockholm-based electronic music producer, musician and creative mastermind behind the solo electro pop recording project Me & Melancholy. Inspired by Depeche Mode, New Order, Camouflage, and Swedish synth acts like The Mobile Homes and Elegant Machinery, Me & Melancholy focuses on melancholy synth pop that blends retro and contemporary sounds to create a nostalgically upbeat yet introspective vibe.

Since starting the project last year, Ehrling has been rather prolific: he has released three singles, an EP and his full-length debut, You and me, Melancholy.

“I let you down (Dark Version)” is a brooding bit of goth-meets-industrial synth pop centered around tweeter and woofer rattling thump, glistening synths and guitar paired with Ehrling’s plaintive delivery and enormous hooks. Sonically, the song brings Violator-era Depeche Mode while rooted in self-flagellation, disgust, despair and heartache.

Ehrling explains that “I let you down (Dark Version)” is a complete and thorough remake of the the original, which appears on You and me, Melancholy.