There are two versions of "West End Girls," with different producers. The second, almost fully electronic, is the hit version, #1 in both the UK and US (quite a rare feat). With nostalgic rap verses and forward-feeling production, it launched a new, evolutionary, era of synth-pop.

The latest from Columbus/Brooklyn duo Child Of Night offers a refreshingly tuneful and authentic turn on the dark wave esthetic. SPNS pick: "Old Moons"

@childofnight.bsky.social #raredm #sdh #synthpop

Falco's "Der Kommissar" was an international smash and an early example of rap music's cultural ascendancy. The lyrics, loosely about street life within a surveillance state, full of Viennese slang and a bit difficult to translate into English, are perhaps as potent today as they seemed in 1981.

Synth polymath Danz CM is a perpetual phenomenon. Her new retrospective is stuffed with superior songwriting, inventive production, and imaginative arrangements. She also runs her label and somehow finds time to publish the lovely Syth History journal. SPNS pick: "World Made of Metal" #danzcm

#danzcm #orkis #gunerkunier #synthpop

And 35 years later, Milli Vanilli achieved greatness by promising not to sing

The 4th LP from Miracle, a duo of seasoned players and composers with wide-ranging CVs that include horror soundtracks and Sun O))), is a dense, saturnine, skillful set of songs, grounded in '80s post-punk and synthpop but absolutely contemporary. SPNS pick: "PVC Vest"

#Valgur, Vera Club, Seattle, 5/28/26

#miracle #ibbiosoundmachine #r.missing #synthpop

Back for the summer schedule!

The second album from Rare DM showcases her growth as a songwriter and producer, with concrete, sensual images within an analog-based mix of club styles. SPNS pick: "Butterfly Historian"

@raredm.bsky.social #SDH @heladonegro.bsky.social #synthpop

#orkis #gunerkunier #athousandmadthings #synthpop

One of the leading lights of the exeptional Portland scene, Orkis, produces uniquely nuanced and authentic music without obvious peer. #orkis #synthpop

London's Ibibio Sound Machine pulls up a kinetic synthy single inspired by a car accident and the otherworldly forces it seemed to evoke. One of their best efforts. #ibibiosoundmachine #synthpop

#ibibiosoundmachine #r.missing #darkchisme #synthpop

The Barcelona duo's 3rd album seems like a downshift from the tight corners of their prior effort into expansive arrangements with further rumininative lyrics. Semiotics Department of Hetronyms are unique and restless and willing to risk. Commendable. SPNS pick: "Night Visit (feat. Lust For Youth)"

goat behavior fuck these record label executives

#sdh #yearsofdenial #polica #synthpop

That Turkish-German synth-punker with a Masters' in economics and engineering, Güner Künier's latest single sharpens her caterwauling stomp into a sharp hook. "Kes" is "stop" in English, but we can't. #gunerkunier #synthpop

#gunerkunier #athousandmadthings #actors #synthpop

Catching up with R. Missing is a never-ending pursuit. The NYC duo keeps the singles going steady, always exploring a variety of dance floor sounds in a decidedly dreamy and somewhat inscrutable way. Often enough, they cast a unique hook, taking Sythpop Nonstop by the lip. #r.missing #synthpop

#r.missing #polica #diesexual #synthpop

Quality and quantity are alligned when it comes to the barrage of singles from A Thousand Mad Things. London producer William Barradale nicks iconic '80s form, adding deft, subtle modern upgrades, solid songwriting, with serious vocal talent. #athousandmadthings #synthpop

#athousandmadthings #actors #boundbyendogamy #synthpop

#lighteningkids #synersia #pva #synthpop

Synthpop Nonstop is pleased to join the Hereford FC community. @hereford-fc.bsky.social

Composed and recorded before a live audience over the course of a 3-week residency, near where federal agents murdered Alex Pretti in their ongoing rampage of lawlessness and property damage, Better Live is a testimony to the strength and integrity of the Mpls music scene and Polica in particular.

#polica #diesexual #thequills #synthpop

The latest single from Vancouver gothy synth rockers Actors is one of their strongest to date. An album is due in the autumn. #actors #synthpop

#actors @cattemper.bsky.social #athousandmadthings #synthpop

Synertia is a new collaborative project from indie stawart Jen Wood (Tattle Tale, 9 solo albums, The Postal Service), with LA producer Derek Ryan. A bit more dance floor than her recent GEMZ project, grounded in Wood's clear phrasing, intonation, and lovelorn themes. SPNS pick: "Above the Clouds"

#synertia #pva #brutusVIII #synthpop

#synthpop #diesexual #r.missing #thequilz

Gothy LA couple Die Sexual (either "dye" or "dee" is OK with them) deliver another dark, pulsing single, grounded on EBM, with sensual spoken vox, that is stickier than a swingers' club ottoman. #diesexual #synthpop

Bringing dynamics, humor, and a serious work ethic to synthwave, Boston-based Mike Langlie/Cat Temper's latest is a sideways homage to Rush '77. It's more guitar-forward than much of the CT catalog, but mega Getty electronic melodies land closer to the heart. SPNS pick: "Temples of the Sphinx"

@cattemper.bsky.social #athousandmadthings @ladytrongroup.bsky.social #synthpop

#PVA #BrutusVIII @wuzybambussy.bsky.social #synthpop

The London trio's sophomore LP explores advanced trip-hop sonic terrain just right of industrial. Their urgent and intimate vocal presence make PVA easy to pick out. SPNS pick: "Enough" #synthpop #pva

#athousandmadthings @ladytrongroup.bsky.social @ladytronfanaccount.bsky.social #austra #synthpop

#brutusviii @wuzybambussy.bsky.social #zaatar #synthpop

Milwaukee synth-pop couple The Quilz have a knack for fresh-sounding covers. The Clash is the inspiration for their latest batch, earnest and whimsical in the right ration. SPNS pick: "Rock the Casbah" #thequilz #synthpop

#thequilz #compute #dlinavolne #synthpop

@ladytrongroup.bsky.social #austra #potochkine #synthpop

Ad "synth" to your resolution. @wuzybambussy.bsky.social #zaatar #darkchisme