Retro Synthpop Playlist

Glaring - Paralyzed (Demo)

Fascination

Last In The Club (Album Version)

First song from the new album VOID, which will be released in autumn 2023

Insanity Among Penguins

Words Unspoken

Chroma

Into the Void

First single from Sally Shapiro's album Ready To Live A Lie, out on May 30th on Italians Do It Better.
https://sallyshapiro.bandcamp.com/album/ready-to-live-a-lie

"Their newest single “The Other Days” thrums with that same indescribable magic that makes Sally Shapiro more than your average Italo disco-inspired project. Her dreamy, gossamer voice floats atop a bed of vibrant synths and insistent drum machine, all wistful and bittersweet as she reflects on a love gone sour. We’re ready for more sad floor-fillers from the duo on their new album Ready To Live A Lie" Paste Magazine "best new songs"

"Her melancholy is still just as strong, offset as ever by determined, propulsive production." The Guardian

"“The Other Days”, the lead single from Ready To Live A Lie, is a wash of smeared synths and compulsive electronic movements. Dreamy vocals blend with snappy beats and hypnotic rhythms, fueling a desire to surrender to the music’s gauzy theatrics." BPM Magazine

"Ethereal vocals and dreamy, ambient synths with a tightly adhesive bass arp and drum machine. The Other Days is among my favorite Sally Shapiro cuts." Vehlinggo

The Other Days

Taken from my new album 'Kintsugi'.
Available on vinyl, CD and digital on Bandcamp: fragrancemusic.bandcamp.com/album/kintsugi
Listen on Spotify: tinyurl.com/kintsugi-spo

Music video on Youtube : https://youtu.be/ietsjIpdoPI

Written by Matthieu Roche
Composed and produced by Matthieu Roche and Sophia Hamadi @sdiamah
Mixed by Dorian Bauléry
Mastered by Emily Magpie

Graphic design by Atelier Belle Lurette

Burning the Mold

Digital Drvgs, S Y Z Y G Y X - Final Girl

After two #1 singles on the German Alternative Chart (DAC) with "House of Cards" and "Endless Night", Howlett has pushed into darker terrain with Eggshell. Melodically, it has an anthemic, haunting quality, while the beats give it an almost industrial edge. Daniel Myer (Liebknecht, Architect, Covenant etc.) has also left an audible footprint with his production and mixing. 

"Eggshell can be seen as a companion-piece to Empathy Test's Demons", says Howlett, "and inhabits a similar realm, atmospherically. Penned around the same time, it's one of the few songs I've written that's told from someone else's perspective - it's the response of the silent partner in Demons."

If that's not enough to capture the imagination of Empathy Test's legion of loyal fans, the fact that this is perhaps the closest Howlett has come compositionally to Empathy Test, will no doubt cement Howlett's solo work as a viable alternative in the absence of anything new from the aforementioned duo.

Eggshell already has some buzz around it, having been performed live several times by Howlett at his solo shows earlier in 2025, but this September to December he is also performing it, along with the follow-up Ghosts of the Tsunami (releasing on Halloween, 31st October) with Empathy Test on their biggest European tour to date.

At a lengthy, but not unwarranted run-time, of 5+ minutes, the release includes a more concise "radio edit" to appeal to those with shorter attention spans. However, to appreciate the full scale of this epic track, the original version is recommended.


Eggshell (Radio Edit)

Mad +Sad +Happy

*Update: since some of you have been asking us privately who’s singing, let’s clear it up. Tom sings the entire song, going from baritone to tenor (maybe even soprano 😓) throughout the track, and not just in this song! 😂 Mary did some backing vocals, but all the main parts are Tom. 🤟

📣Here we are again with an unexpected upload, born from some random experiments that turned out way too good to be thrown in the trash… the Mac trash, obviously 😅
Headlines is inspired by a chiptune melody that likely dates back to the early 90s, at least as far as our keyboard player remembers, though even that isn’t completely certain. The track comes from the demoscene era, but the original title and author are unknown to us and may have been lost over time, so proper credit isn’t possible.
No samples were used. The melody was replayed, rearranged and completely reworked into a new song with a modern production and original vocals.
Too good to be left in a drawer, so here it is.
And stay tuned… in a few days we’ll be back with our new (and last) Christmas song, along with a very fun video where we’ll turn into Santa’s elves! 🎄🧝‍♂️🧝‍♀️
This song is available exclusively on SoundCloud.

Lyrics:

Do you already know this song?
Yeah, you know it
(Oh yeah)
Are you ready to sing along
to this song?

Let's go!

Everywhere I go
I'm hearing this tune
'Cause all the songs sound the same 
nothing feels new

But this one’s got something fresh
We made it loud, we made it real
Way better than
all that noise around

Someone’s even cloning us
So we can blast this track
all over the world
and up in space 
yeah, space!

The headlines now all say:
"Time stands still!"
There’s only one song left
spinning around
Someone's even trying to kill
all our clones
To shut this anthem down
all over the globe

And we’re trying to stay sane
But this is insane
Can’t even leave the house
the doors are locked
Someone said “That’s enough”
Now silence reigns
There’s no more sound 
real music is gone

Youtubers and AIers everywhere
This must be some kind of fever dream
It’s way too much - we’ve had enough

So give us all your strength
your power, your hopes, your dreams
And tell us where you wanna go
for real!

We’re fighting hard to keep alive
the soul of real sound
We’ll make your dreams
the next headlines

Youtubers and trappers everywhere
This must be some kind of fever dream
It’s way too much - we’ve had enough

So give us all your strength
your power, your hopes, your dreams
And tell us where you wanna go
for real!

Bye bye!

Headlines

VOGUE.NOIR - SEGMENTS Feat Drift.

Dance To The Revolution - The Guilt (Calima Remix)

Hinterland

(Whispers) They're crawling inside my head, those voices I can't escape, all I see is red and games, they're crawling inside my veins.
(Main Luna) It took my soul, it ripped my soul.
(Main Josh) Mind consumed, memories exhumed. Burn the places with the worn out faces, I can't escape what's in my head. Reality unknown.

Elegance & You

Korine

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