Kylie Minogue Scores Another Dance Pop Classic with ‘Tension’
Kylie Minogue understands that the best kind of dance-pop is pure, undiluted joy. With Tension, she’s shown that nobody does it better than her.
synthpop
Nation of Language Revel in Classic Synthpop on ‘Strange Disciple’
Strange Disciple finds Nation of Language’s devotion to their synthpop craft and the acts that inspired them admirably intact, even dogged.
Icona Pop Return After Ten Years with ‘Club Romantech’
There’s nothing on Icona Pop’s Club Romantech of the caliber of their 2013 hit “I Love It”, but the slyly NSFW dance track “Spa” redeems the whole album.
Róisín Murphy Makes a Valiant Attempt at Being a Soul Diva
On Hit Parade, Róisín Murphy takes her sound – a swirling cacophony of electropop, synthpop, and nu-disco – and looks to soul to elevate her music.
Shamir’s ‘Homo Anxietatem’ Is a Candid Work of Confessional Pop
Shamir’s gorgeous voice is a genderless, androgynous instrument, soulful, tight, airy, and jazzy, capable of lilting beautifully over shiny pop beats.
Georgia Channels Her Inner Pop Diva on ‘Euphoric’
Euphoric is a breezy, chaste recording that places producer/singer Georgia squarely into mainstream dance-pop. It’s love letter to 1990s pop.
‘Barbie: The Album’ Is a Spotty Yet Enjoyable Sugar High
Although there are some fantastic high points and some tacky low points, Barbie: The Album pulls through with a cheeky victory.
Ralph Gives Canadian Queer Pop a New Name with ‘222’
Eschewing male producers who didn’t necessarily see her creative vision in the past, Ralph also came out as a member of the LGBTQ community this year.
Little Dragon Return With Slinky and Assured ‘Slugs of Love’
Drawing from disco, funk, and R&B, Little Dragon’s Slugs of Love is genre-crossing music, achieving an artful balance of danceable tunes and reflective moods.
Maisie Peters Tells a Coming-of-Age Tale on ‘The Good Witch’
Maisie Peters knows the power of being the one who has it, of being the one who controls the narrative, as she shows on her new album, The Good Witch.
Retrofuturism: How the Alt-Right Learned to Love Depeche Mode
For Richard Spencer and today’s alt-right, ‘80s British synthpop bands like Depeche Mode satisfy their retrofuturist cultural fantasies.
Everything You Know Means Nothing: Problematic Art and Crystal Castles’ Legacy
An abusive past with Crystal Castles haunts former singer Alice Glass. Glass haunts her past back with her multi-artist, confrontational goth synthpunk.