Credited with bringing back the “fun” and the “sexy” within a retro sound, Pink Stiletto’s 2024 EP ‘New Wava’ presented four mechanical sounding bangers that drew influence from a world of synth pop and new wave and occasionally added basslines that sounded more like they belonged on a synth-goth record. The managerie of sound created something so lovingly indebted to the past, it became instantly loveable, despite sharing a rather cold edge.
Tag Archives: synth
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #143
This week’s visit to the Singles Bar is big on variety. We’ve got retro rock, some very 90s inspired dream pop gold, a great track from an up and coming Irish singer songwriter, a superb acoustic track and more besides. With very little fitting a “household name” at the time of release, this is testament to how much great new music there is being released at the beginning of 2026. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
*
SHANNON CURTIS – 80s Kids
On 2024’s ‘Good To Me’, Shannon Curtis delivered ten slabs of synth pop that sounded so authentically 80s, you might even believe a few of the songs were rarities from the era. With the album released at a time where a lot of musicians appeared to be obsessed with the 90s, this even more retro sound hit like a musical ray of sunshine. At the album’s best, the bright sound – heavily reliant on unnatural sounding keys and a strong vocal – showcased some great choruses. The multi-voiced ‘Serenity’ could’ve been culled from an old teen film soundtrack; ‘Sweat & Butterflies’ worked a pulsing heart that had clearly been inspired by OMD’s ‘If You Leave’ and a couple of Fiction Factory numbers, and the title cut showcased a great contrast between big beats and a more sedate voice, ending the record in a slightly more thoughtful manner. Even with a couple of tunes adding slightly more of a light goth/dreampop reverb, this was a record that offered a lot of entertainment for the 80s obsessed listener.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #137
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time around, we bring you a genuinely sharp sounding piece of post hardcore from Brighton, a well arranged slab of stoner metal, the overdue return of a goth influenced act, a trio of very different singer songwriters…and more. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.
*
PARIS MUSIC CORP. – Wetlands / Dark Laguna
In 2022, electronic musician John Andrew Paris – aka Paris Music Corp. – released his self-titled album. Marking a return to recording after a five year hiatus, the fourteen track record was pleasingly varied, taking in beat-heavy, almost danceable works (‘Whiteout’) to artier sounding tracks adorned with great bass sounds (the Mick Karn influenced ‘Light Speed’ and the vaguely shoegaze like ‘Witch Harvest’), to pure ambient fare (‘New Blue Norther’, ‘The Original Orb’). It may have drawn from a lot of different sources, but it was to the musician’s credit that it never lacked direction. By then presenting his audience with a twelve minute epic in 2023 (the soundtrack for ‘Spectral Wind’), it was clear that Paris had so many more ideas up his sleeve and so much more to give.