Is Synthwave the Last Great Music Out There?

Music hasn’t exactly been the same as it was decades before, which isn’t exactly a good thing. Music genres have become too narrow and boring, due to companies playing it too safe and not taking risks with innovative ideas anymore.

That, and a lot of recent music just sounds plain awful sometimes. It is no wonder listeners constantly tune back to music from decades prior.

There was more genuine substance, effort, and care put into producing music back in the “good ol’ days.”

People who know me well also know that I do not actively listen to music from the past decade or so. There is simply not a whole lot left that I want to listen to.

The new singers do not have any appeal to me, and I do tend to forget the names of debuting rappers and artists five minutes after I hear them.

That, and even older singers and groups don’t have the original appeal to them that they used to. U2 has unfortunately not put out a good gem in the past several years, and their last album was mediocre at best.

Linkin’ Park was a modern band that I listened to for quite a while, but the band hasn’t put out anything since 2017 when the lead singer, Chester Bennington, unfortunately ended his life.

It seems like music could not get any worse. And yet, is there still one last hope left for something new that is good?

It is entirely possible, and it’s in the form of a nostalgic music “genre” called synthwave. Or simply better put, it’s the old influencing the new to make it great again.

To avoid confusion, synthpop was technically a genre and form of popular music back in the 1980s, and modern synthwave isn’t exactly the same as its older pop counterpart.

Rather, synthwave takes more influence from electronic movie soundtracks usually composed by Vangelis and John Carpenter and 8-bit video games from the past such as “Outrun.”

That is not to say that synthwave doesn’t take influence from synthpop, which it does sometimes, but it can also exist as its own thing.

While synthwave technically has its origins and influence from the electronic music of the 1980s, it also has beginnings in one Ryan Gosling film, “Drive.”

“Drive” was released in 2011, and featured a soundtrack score that mimicked the synth-music of the 1980s. The soundtrack was widely popular, and thus, synthwave was officially born, and has continued ever since.

What is also nice about synthwave is that the artists mostly use technology from the past to compose their modern tracks.

1980s synthesizers and other older electronic devices are used to make synthwave sound the way it does, which adds a more authentic touch.

What is also great about synthwave is the fact that the overall "sound" differs from artist to artist. In other words, no two can sound alike. Not like nowadays where it seems like a lot of rap, country, and pop blends in between artists.

For example, Mitch Murder is a synthwave artist who could be described as the most “authentic” sounding of the 1980s. Mitch Murder takes full advantage of the original synthesizers and really makes it sound like it came from decades ago.

His music has also appeared in movies and TV shows such as “Stranger Things” and “Kung Fury.”

Perturbator is another such artist, but his synth-songs also take some influence from black metal music and cyberpunk culture. Occasionally, he will even throw in some dubstep in his tracks.

Perturbator is not like Mitch Murder who makes synthwave for “nostalgic purposes.” However, if you want to add a darker mix to your synth playlist, then Perturbator is the artist for you.

FM-84 is also another notable synthwave artist, who has made some nice albums under his belt, and The Midnight does his best at making a grand mix between past and present.

That’s just some of the more popular artists, and there are many more that are still awaiting our attention.

So far, it seems like synthwave could not get any better. It is the last piece of great music still around. What could go wrong?

Oh yes, there is A.I. now.

Synthwave, while it makes for a good listen, has the potential to lose what made it special by giving it into the hands of artificial intelligence.

Synthwave has a human touch and human quality that cannot be expressed by an emotionless machine, even if it can learn.

Sure, you can technically tell an A.I. to make a song inspired by synthwave, and it can contain some of the elements. But it will still feel generic, with nothing to make it special and worthwhile.

It seems like a lot of artists are going the route of using A.I. for music and other things. A.I. won’t make that any better, it can only be worse.

Executives and producers in the music industry already have a tough time for innovation and creativity. What makes artists think that innovation can come out of a bland machine?

Hopefully, synthwave won’t have to suffer that problem for a long time, and we can still enjoy it while it lasts. It is the quintessential light in the darkness, or a light at the end of the tunnel. Whatever you want to call it.

Sure, synthwave is technically inspired by something that came before, but it evolved into something completely on its own, due to human creativity and ingenuity. You will not find that with most modern music, or anything produced by A.I. for that matter.

Besides, artists have always been inspired by what came before. The Beatles were inspired by Elvis, and they were some of the greatest musical artists to ever walk the planet.

Synthwave, for now, is here to stay, and it is here to be enjoyed. Which is great, considering the current state of music.

Logan M. Sharp is a fourth-year majoring in film production. To contact him, please email lxs5590@psu.edu.