The Best 32 albums of 2021 by PToS

32.

A Color of the Sky is an enthralling introduction into the dreamy and subdued world of Lightning Bug. Based in New York, the five band members worked on this live project from an old unused house transformed into a studio. This makes the listening experience even more magical. The album is full of gentle drumbeats, guitar synths, and various other textural sounds, all led beautifully by the Mazzy Star-like vocals of Audrey Kang.
This album is rich in mystical melodies, beautifully arranged soundscapes, and well-considered lyrics. A Color of the Sky from Lightning Bug won’t be appreciated by everyone, but for the introspective music lover, it is a warm comforting hug for the ears.

Songs that I liked the most: The return

31.

'Without the limelight' is the fourth album by synthpop artists Nordeney, and it shares a curious thing with their previous albums: (almost) every song on their entire discography is entitled using just one word.

The programming is in most cases very pleasant and always extremely positive, sometimes like with "Buddy" on the verge of motley pop madness, but in any case nice. The vocals are slender, beautiful, the notes are hit - the special thing is missing, but hey, I know hundreds of professional releases that one would wish for such a singular, but technically good vocals. In terms of content, it is of course empowering to the point, great feelings, hope should flow into the listener and in the end he should look strengthened into everyday life.

So, really successful as a product of amateur musicians, thumbs up.

Songs that I liked the most: Buddy - Behavior

30.

From heartbreak to elation and suffering to forgiveness, Warnings covers a range of push-pull emotions and unassailable struggles. Many attempts to cover such vast ground have lead to murky, incoherent results. But in the deft hands of Lindén and her long-time collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Frederik Balck, the outcome is an unforgettable, awe-inspiring escapade. Those who listen to Warnings will discover that I Break Horses have created a masterwork that equally affects our mind and soul, revealing that within darkness there is light and vice versa. They brilliantly demonstrate that the contrasts of our lives define our very existence.

Songs that I liked the most: Neon lights - Turn - Death engine

29.

The synthpop band from Leipzig, Lords Assistants, is back after 15 years of silence. 'Infrared' is full of good melodies and a perfect production. On this album we can find catchy tunes, as well as melancholic -or even dark- moods. This is a recommended listening if you like the sound of modern -yet classic- sound of synthpop from the first decade of this century.

Songs that I liked the most: Enter - Matter of ending

28.

‘Intruder’ unfolds as a cinematic experience that ripples with menace. It pulls off the veteran artist high-wire act of sounding fresh and ambitious while still retaining his core DNA. There are uniformly big choruses throughout, sleazily paced anthemics, stark analogue synths and myriad references to his classic sounds. Numan furthers his fascination with ecological collapse and heavy industrial electronics. Inspired by a poem by his 11-year-old daughter, its concept ramps up the bombast, exploring global warming from the earth’s perspective, where the planet is angry, let down and ready to fight back.

Songs that I liked the most: Is this world not enough? - I am screaming - Intruder

27.

On their fourth album Mint Julep move beyond the limits of their previous work and construct a complete, cohesive project that demonstrates all their various strengths. Their formula is to create a separate soundscape for each song and then explore the nuances of that space. As a result, they are more interested in creating a mood than demonstrating technical brilliance or innovation. this requires patient listening
Altogether this is a sophisticated achievement and an impressive display of the talents of Keith and Hollie. they have made something of lasting value with this beautiful record.

Songs that I liked the most: Pulse - Lost

26.

The album 'Seconds of solitude' by the Swedish band Cold Connection is very well produced as the finest synthpop you can find out there. The overall sound of this album is deeply influenced by bands like Camouflage, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk and OMD. If you like classic synth pop you will love Cold Connection!

Songs that I liked the most: Trocadero

25.

The indie pop trio is now headed in a bolder, more mesmerising and ambitious direction, resulting in a satisfyingly soulful and cinematic sound.
Fans will be used to atmospheric productions, but the new collection digs deeper and starts with the wordless and spiritual Intro, chiming bells and vinyl crackling before the addition of a heavenly host of strings. It could have been very easily lifted straight from a movie score and every detail of the soundscape appears intricately designed.
Californian Soil isn’t the sunny pop album its name suggests, but rather a grounded record with sonic light and shade. It’s not perfect nor a reinvention, with the execution and climax occasionally missing their lofty ambition, but it’s a repeat-worthy and effortless listen from a group full of confidence and conviction.

Songs that I liked the most: How does it feel?

24.

Vancouver post-punk quartet Girlfriends and Boyfriends’ third LP shows some tremendous growth in terms of songwriting and delivery. While the jangly, bass-forward sound that defines the album flows nicely from their murky 2015 album Your Garden, Fallacy of Fairness is strictly a brighter and more accessible affair; the production is cleaner, the songs are hookier, and the grooves deeper. Part of the key to the record’s uplift is a general sense of liveliness and gloomy fun, with the band try on numerous stylistic hats over the course of its ten tracks.

It’d be backhanded to call 'Fallacy of fairness' unexpected in terms of quality, but to be totally frank it is something of an arrival for Girlfriends and Boyfriends. Moreso than any of their previous recorded material or live performances we’ve caught locally, it shows them as an act with honest to goodness tunes, and no shortage of ideas or energy in delivering them. A really pleasant surprise and a strong contender in the current North American post-punk landscape.

Songs that I liked the most: Someone else - Ride with me - Memento mori

23.

Bonander is the shorthand for Ellinor Sterner Bonander. Sporting the role of musician, arranger and producer, the native Swede is a woman unchained, injecting darkness into the vein of candied pop with her tropes of existentialism and feminist revolt.
The album tells the stories of women both from history and her personal life whose contributions have previously been overlooked. The idea for the album is to create a musical, cinematic and dramatic journey full of contrast between intimate string sections and huge synth landscapes, between mechanical rhythms and flowing tempos. Tribal thrashes of drums, pipe organ and soaring vocals combine to manifest the pain and frustration at the heart of the song.

The lyrics will together speak of the identities and emotional life of different women, both through private and historical perspectives. All of the songs discuss subjects concerning women that ought to be talked about more, but sadly are not...

Songs that I liked the most: Martha - SIlent lights

22.

This album is consistently powerful as is moves through its stylistic shifts and dynamic changes. Particularly excellent points include the beginning of the title track – a shoegaze-meets-gothic techno tour de force, the sublimely rickety guitar melodies and manic beats of 'Excess', the doom-laden melodic melancholy of 'Dethroned under a funeral haze', and the sorrowful and terrifyingly huge ending to 'Messalina, Messalina'.
Deep and evocative atmosphere is at the heart of Lustful Sacraments but, in spite of not really following a verse/chorus structure, the record is also awash with melody. Although the vocals are usually understated and subdued, various rich and virile synths often rise to the fore with powerful and haunting refrains. The guitars also steal the main focus for much of the time with their catchy reverb-drenched patterns.

Songs that I liked the most: Excess

21.

The title describes the emotions and dream like surrealism that have taken shape within the music and through the creative process the last two years. With sweeping nods to wide screen synthpop, darkwave, and 80s vibes, new vocalist Mvrijo wraps her unique vocal sweetness over the entire affair, while Roland M layers in songs drenched in mood and dance worthy beats, while still feeling introspective and meditative.
Moving between "wave" genres, with rich vintage sounds, bold sonic scapes and beats, atmospheric guitar, and vocals that capture the bitter and the sweet. This is the most personal, emotional and driving release Violentene has done, after two years deep in the creative process.

Songs that I liked the most: Frontier - September falls

20.

Celebratory and suffused in optimism, it chimes with the sense of a long dark night finally drawing to a close. The album isn’t uplifting in a simplistic sense. Often, it’s blotted with shadows. In her lyrics, Zauner has a fondness for zig-zagging from ebullient to devastating, often when you least expect it.
And yet at a molecular level, Jubilee is a rush. Horns abound, retro-future synths conjure a vapourwave pizazz. At one point (during ‘Slide Tackle’) the floor is given over to a euphoric/ cheesy sax solo that almost makes you fall in love with euphoric/cheesy sax solos.

Songs that I liked the most: Posing in bondage

19.

Graced with the lustre of Beach House, the instantaneousness of Future Islands, and Paul Banks’ ability to reap meaning from the meaningless, the group foray into misty mornings where they face big questions on how life and social constructs can cripple us if we do not find a hopeful glimmer in the quagmire. And it is the innate hopefulness of 'A way forward' that makes it such a special record. The band undoubtedly own one or two records from Joy Division and Kraftwerk, but they avoid the overbearing bleakness associated with the former and the soul stripped mechanical nature – often unfairly – thrown at the latter.

There is quite a buzz around Nation Of Language ahead of this release – one that sees them well poised to crossover to an audience far greater than even they perhaps expected. But their ability to marry pop hooks with our overriding human quest for hope is something quite special, and they deserve all good things that lay ahead.

Songs that I liked the most: Wounds of love - The grey commute

18.

"Fate in seven lessons" is a handful of seven tracks of moody, gloomy darkwave that capture the essence of what Cold Cave and their imitators have been doing for over a decade. And while their influences have always been apparent, on this album Cold Cave sounds less like their disciples and more like their contemporaries.
On their third full lenght album, Cold Cave defies the drum machines that characterized past records to embrace the sound of a live band riding these grooves in the studio. While the bulk of the album is, for all intents and purposes, darkwave, there are excursions into other corners of the ’80s, like the upbeat new wave feel of 'Night light'.

Songs that I liked the most: Night light

17.

Leitstrahl were raised on a strict diet of electronic music, synthpopm italo disco and synth movie scores. This was the bread and butter of this three man Austrian outfit. With more than fifteen years of band history, the trio of Stoff, Paul Raal and Boogaloo Steve are as proud as punch to announce their debut album: Chromium Dioxide. Synthlines sparkle across the collection, magical melodies pirouetting in a haze of deep Summer sun. Coursing through the entire album is passion, a passion crystallised in addictive hooks, laserdance rhythms and fledgling romance, a passion that combines Hi-NRG intensity with the reflection of wave and the optimism of italo. Inspired by the 1980s, simply inspirational today.

Songs that I liked the most: White tails - Albatross - Europa Supersaw

16.

Out of the ashes of Brooklyn indie-pop group Gingerlys emerges Lunarette, with their dazzling debut, Clair de Lunarette. Though nearly the same lineup as Gingerlys, this new four-piece (Jackie Mendoza, Colin O’Neill, Kevin Doxsey and Brian Alvarez) pivots in a new sonic direction. On Clair de Lunarette, the group hones in on a pleasantly hazy dream pop sound.

Clair de Lunarette is clean and controlled, with a melancholy edge. “Messing” tells a tale of infidelity and indifference, with Mendoza and O’Neill harmonizing, ”You were messing around/ And I knew.” Throughout the album, Mendoza and O’Neill vocally blend and weave, doubling and at times finishing each other’s sentences. Lunarette’s compositions on the album are stylistically polished and playful. “Lucky one” is driven by a punchy synth bassline that nods to techno, while guitar-forward “Penny Connection” jumps between time signatures in a manner akin to math rock. Clair de Lunarette is concise but expansive, and demands multiple listens in order to unpack each carefully arranged track.

Songs that I liked the most: Austin St. - Lucky one

15.

Yestergrey is a solo act from Stockholm, Sweden who does mechanistic and melancholic synthpop, as if it were drawn from an abandoned 90s hardware sampler. Definitely neither contemporary nor futuristic, and hardly retro.
'Busy rushing nowhere' is a follow-up album that is richer in both style and songwriting, while maintaining a firm grip on the classic 90s synthpop aesthetic.
This album abounds in melancholic synthesized music based on samplers and romplers with distinctive melodic pop. sensitivity. The key idea is to make album tracks and B-sides rather than hit singles.

Songs that I liked the most: Never said it loud - Never trust design

14.

Slow brooding bass riffs with a nod to Peter Hook supplemented by bursts of atmospheric synths complete with gloomy words and dark vocals. Er yeah, that about encapsulates an answer. However, rather than becoming a carbon copy True Faith supplement those sounds with contemporary electronica giving a fresh perspective to a worn well “genre” blending those goth, coldwave and synthpop influences to great effect. This is most ably demonstrated on the sublime closing track Blame. Aside from being ripe for a remix (or three!) thanks to the lovely synths, it also ticks all those boxes in your description and then some more.

Songs that I liked the most: Blame - A perfect place

13.

This album isn’t just shiny though, it’s better all around. The Siamese Youth sound has definitely had an upgrade, taking the best elements from their debut album “Electric dreams” and improving on them. The tracks here are much more groovy, and they play with space more as well, with many of the tracks feeling very wide and impressive. “Electric dreams” had its fair share of amazingly upbeat catchy tracks, but overall it seemed a bit laid back at its core. Siamese Youth have really come out of their shell, and take it to a whole other level in “Echoes of tomorrow,” with certain tracks like ‘Can I be me,’ and ‘Young nights’ sounding downright iconic.

Songs that I liked the most: Can I be me? - Young nights

12.

'Polydans' immaculately demonstrates Roosevelt’s qualities as a producer who gives great attention to detail and has a good sense of what makes an infectiously danceable song. But his last two albums managed to do so just as well, and Polydans struggles to let Roosevelt move forward as an artist. It still is a fun listen and has the right songs to get people dancing, but it doesn’t portray Roosevelt as an artist who’s willing to evolve at this time.

Songs that I liked the most: Echoes

11.

Adam does the synths and programming, while Brian delivers vocals, though it was done remotely in 2020 and 2021 and the two didn’t see each other in person until last week. Lyrically, the songs are playful, conflating the end of the universe with the end of a relationship. Themes covered included alienation, the distance between us, and the end of existence.

Classic synthpop runs through the sound of BlakLight’s new album. The duo’s second release 'Into the void' features darkly melodic, beat-heavy electronica using ‘inside the box’ synths and drumbeats.

Songs that I liked the most: Crack - Paranoid

10.

Second album by singer and producer Hilton Theisson, ‘Seven’ feels refreshingly natural and organic and completely lacking in pretentions.

The two perfect sythpop gems on this album are 'Nothing's wrong' and 'Success of the snake'; elsewhere, there’s a much darker vibe shimmering through the title track and the slow pulse of ‘New oceans’, the latter glistening with a cautious optimism that reflects these odd times we still find ourselves meandering through. And ‘Chant’ eases the album to a close in a reverb-drenched orgy of voice and understated synths. Gorgeous.

Balance is everything, and here is weighted quite beautifully.

Songs that I liked the most: Success of the snake - Seven

9.

The emotional vocal contributions from Jonas Groth to his brother Stephan’s project Apoptygma Berzerk had an impact on me. Their music is similar in style, but Jonas has a wider range and a voice perfectly suited for what has now materialized in the form of Piston Damp. Together with Truls Sønsterud, he has finally crafted and released his own vision. “Making the World Great Again” makes me wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner.

Piston Damp exploded onto the Scandinavian synth scene in October of last year with the irresistible pop gem 'Something in me'. Filled to the brim with melody, lavish hooks and strong vocals, this little caramel set the bar at ridiculous heights. Still, the album manages to retain a quality rarely heard in the scene. Singles 'Loose Ends' and 'Runaway' further cements the duo’s feel and ability to bring us synthpop hits. At 13 tracks, 'Making the world great again' has plenty more to offer up, from heartfelt midtempo pieces like 'Depth of your eyes' to club numbers like the title track and 'Hearts on fire'. Notable contributions on the album come from Stephan L. Groth on vocoder, another brother named Andreas (yes, there’s three of them!) on backing vocals and Computorgirl singing on 'Don’t'. It all makes for an engaging and fascinating listening experience from start to finish. Even quirky instrumentals like 'Factor out' fit in well on the album.

As it seems, Apop have drifted back into their lovely electronic world, and now we can add Piston Damp and their excellent song writing to the equation. We can probably expect lots of exciting songs from the Groth brothers in the future.

Songs that I liked the most: Factor out - Hearts on fire - Depth of your eyes - Another pain

8.

Deafheaven have created a great record, one that can easily compete with the modern-day dream pop/post-punk groups like Beach House, DIIV and Interpol. Though ultimately they have sacrificed what made them originally standout from a vast majority of their peers, and it’s hard to not be a little disappointed by its lack of visceral intensity. To judge it solely as a singular body of work, Infinite Granite is a bold, impressive album that has the potential to take them from being critical darlings to alt-rock heroes. Only time will tell if their already devoted fanbase will go along with them for the ride.

Songs that I liked the most: Shellstar - Neptune Raining Diamonds - Lament for Wasps

7.

Screen Violence delivers for fans of soulful synthpop because it’s the kind of collection that feels emphatic and sympathetic. So much of synthpop can feel cold and distant, but Chvrches’ patented sound reaches for the heart: pulsing, thumping beats, swirling synths, bracing lyrics, and emotional vocals. Though so much of Screen Violence sounds synthetic, there’s a strong emotional core due to the performances and lovely lyrics. The synthesizers work to support the songs. It’s a gentle use of fuzzy, brushed synths that move away from the sharp, glassy sounds often associated with this kind of return to the New Romantic sound.

Songs that I liked the most: Asking for a friend - How not to drown

6.

It quickly becomes apparent that Duran Duran have expertly walked the line between experimenting with some uncharacteristic sounds and styles while maintaining their iconic sound. There may be a couple curveballs but there isn’t a single track that feels out of place or truly fails to land. Some of the album’s best moments are hiding out in its latter half. “Wings” is beautifully arranged with dramatic guitars and keyboards that expertly fade in and out. Despite the singularly strange rap contribution from Ivorian Doll in the middle of “Hammerhead,” it stands out as a bizarre and memorable track.

There’s no mistaking Future Past for anything other than a Duran Duran album, thanks in large part to Le Bon’s distinct and seemingly ageless voice. Despite some real innovations to their sound and some inconsistent moments where the album lags, it’s not an album that could have been made by anyone else. And that might be key to why it all works so well: it not only succeeds as a great Duran Duran album, but a stellar pop record in its own right.

Songs that I liked the most: Future past, Wing.

5.

'Pink noise' is definitely much more fun than past work, Laura hasn’t dumbed down. Yes, there’s an obvious pop single: Got Me, which is glorious, though it may have had a better chance of being a hit for Billy Ocean in 1986 than cracking the top 40 today. But her characteristic multi-layered, overlapping vocals are still here, and creating music like this that doesn’t sound like pastiche is easier said than done. It’s an old style but also an exciting new start.
Much more pop than synth, her ongoing ambition shows in music that sounds designed to fill the largest spaces.

Songs that I liked the most: Safe passage - Conditional - Church girl - What matters

4.

After the release of their debut album, Ark Of Embers, was delayed by just the three and a half decades, Fiat Lux continue to make up for lost time with the arrival of Twisted Culture just a couple of years on from the eventual appearance of that ‘lost’ debut AND an album of new material, Saved Symmetry. It’s a musical feast that fans of the synth pop band could only have dreamed of, following their original dissolution in 1985.

Fiat Lux’s music has always been a mixture of seemingly straight-ahead pop and more restless, almost uncomfortable, sounds. Twisted Culture absorbs the heaviness of the intervening period, even including a microscopic photograph of the Covid virus on its sleeve.

Twisted Culture is the sound of a band who are still relishing being back in existence. Even given the World’s difficulties during its inception over the last couple of years, it’s a record that has a lot of hope as well as maybe a little despair.

Songs that I liked the most: Cul de sac - Hope - The night we should have met

3.

’Oneiros’ is a magical amalgamation of synth genres that really does take you on a journey of sensations. Honey Beard have spoken many times about how their entire body of work is actually one long narrative concept that was conceived back in 2015 when they were writing their first EP. Themes of Dreaming and themes of water are omnipresent throughout their previous works and seem to reach a zenith here in ‘Oneiros’.
Mixed and co-produced by Michael Oakley, the album’s timbre sonically captures the emotion Honey Beard seem so totally invested in, and in many respects makes ‘Oneiros’ is as much a work of art as it is a collection of songs.

Songs that I liked the most: Free of form - Until summer - Lighthouse

2.

'Trigger' abounds with moody musing on modern middle class life via the medium of synthpop. Gloominess akin to 80s goth predominates but with a more world weary approach. The songs examine modern day, mundane human struggles: longing for people and times now out of reach, unhappinesses small and large. Sometimes a dose of bleak realism set to spacey synths and electronic chirps is good, but after a while the cumulative sadness and rankling discontent builds with each song seeming more and more dirge like. There are some catchy loops and a few choruses you may find yourself singing under your breath on a dark winter night as the seasonal affective misery kicks in. The morose atmosphere and spiraling despair certainly feels like the turbulent spirit of 2020 has been bottled and channeled into synthesizers and middle aged, middle class.
If you want wallow in premium Scandinavian melancholy and tread the dreamlike, desaturated paths in someone else’s existential despair, tuck in.

Songs that I liked the most: Zero zero - The sorrow stays for good

1.

Fonohead's second album includes seven songs of the purest synthpop: catchy since the first listening, melancholic and soothing tracks. I'm sure that these songs would soon become your favorites of the year, just as it happened to me.

The lyrics of the songs contained in 'Actor of your theatre' are very personal and introspective. The music and production in general is really accurate and equal, but it is never boring; quite the contrary, each song makes us want more.

Fans of De/Vision, Camouflage, Mesh, Iris and classic/modern synthpop in general are going to love this album. And there are exciting news: during the first month of 2022 Fonohead will be realeasing a brand new album! Wow!

Songs that I liked the most: Princess fake - Be my catch