Welcome to the start of my end-of-year coverage. In the weeks ahead, we’ll explore the year in synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and the like. Here’s what you can expect:
- 2024 in quotes (new this year!)
- Synthpop cover songs of 2024
- Best synthpop music videos of 2024
- Best new synthpop artist of 2024
- Top 100 synthpop songs of 2024
- Top 25 synthpop albums of 2024
If you don’t want to miss anything, bookmark my site or follow me on social media. I’m on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Not sure if I’m joining Bluesky yet—feeling a bit of social media fatigue.
Before we start counting down the best releases of the year, let’s rewind a bit and revisit the best music of 2023 to put the synthpop landscape into context.
Best new synthpop artist of 2023
My pick for best new synthpop act of 2023 was KUNT, a Swedish duo that blends synthpop melodies with punk spirit. The group, made up of Rickard Rosendahl and Paula Lé Boss, released their debut EP, Unleashed, which featured my favorite KUNT track, “Jericho Stand.” This anthem is a bloody beast of a song full of bomb beats and fiery attitude. I was hoping we’d hear new music from KUNT in 2024, but nothing has arrived yet.
To learn more about this synthpop artist, read my interview with KUNT.
Best synthpop music video of 2023
Glamgoth duo Dead Lights has one of the best visual aesthetics in the dark music scene: spectacular costumes, black lipstick, and snarling attitude. So it’s no surprise that they were my pick for best music video of 2023. While any of the six videos they released last year could have topped this list, “I Am Electric” stood out for its incredible robot arms, which frame the duo and add an elaborate, dizzying effect to their glittery spectacle.
Check out my full list of the best synthpop videos of 2023.
Best synthpop song of 2023
The beloved German synthpop trio Beborn Beton returned in 2023 after an eight-year hiatus with their ninth studio album, Darkness Falls Again. I named its lead single, “Dancer in the Dark,” the best song of the year for its dynamic songcraft, Stefan Netschio’s unforgettable vocals, and its carefully constructed misdirection. What sounds like a feel-good anthem about the power of a night out, “Dancer in the Dark” is in fact a sharp critique of our distractions as the world teeters on the edge.
Check out my full list of the best synthpop songs of 2023.
Best synthpop album of 2023
VNV Nation claimed my top album of 2023 with Electric Sun, a remarkably cohesive release that might be their most conceptual album yet. The songs unfold like a three-act narrative about a distant civilization dwelling beneath a burning sun—or perhaps it’s about about us here on Earth. Electric Sun balances powerful moments of cynicism in tracks like the scathing “Prophet” and the apathetic “Wait” with notes of resilience in the anthemic “Invictus” and the beautiful ballad “At Horizon’s End.” It’s a meticulously crafted and complex triumph that is among VNV’s best work.
Check out my full list of the best synthpop albums of 2023.
