MEGAN MCDUFFEE - Inner Demons

Written by KIZUNAUT

What do you get when you combine an award-winning videogame soundtrack composer, a singer who has collaborated with over 40 artists and a skilled retrowave producer? The answer is Megan McDuffee, a name that has become quite familiar within the synthwave scene and beyond it. Within the synthwave scene she has been an ubiquitous collaborator, lending her talents as a singer to a great many producer, perhaps most notably Scandroid and Mitch Murder. Outside of the synthwave scene she has been establishing herself as a soundtrack composer, making music for the games River City Girls, Plunge, Hostile Takeover and Mimic: Arena and the film The Yellow Wallpaper.

In some ways Megan McDuffee has been a woman of two worlds, making mostly instrumental and soundtrack work under her own name while singing as a featuring artist for others. Inner Demons sees her producing a full-length pop album under her own name for the first time. Drawing influences from Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, IAMX and ‘80s film soundtracks, the moody electro pop found within the album that is in equal measures modern and retro, opening yet another new sonic frontier for the already diverse artist.

Megan describes the album as ”the culmination of my inner monologues, struggles, desires, and musical soul. This is truly my album, I did absolutely everything in the creation of this release,” and the album feels very personal. This feeling is furthered by the simple, but effective, artwork which features the artist herself lying down against a dark background. This is truly her presenting herself to the world.

As one could perhaps surmise from the album title, the subject matter of the album leans on the darker side of life. The lyrics found within the album deal with various personal themes including desire, jealousy, regret, letting go of the past and a kind of dark, dependent romance. The tone of it all is melancholic, but not depressive. It feels like Megan is seeking to find some kind of closure through this album. I find anchoring the album in personal experience gives it a wonderful air of sincerity and reality, and I welcome the synth scene shifting towards more grounded subject matters.

The production choices of the album play very well with the themes and overall tone of the album. The sound choices and mixing are smooth, subtle, bassy and clean with a certain dreamlike quality to it all. The production at times strongly recalls Massive Attack, and those who have been wishing for some kind of trip-hop revival have had their prayers answered. Megan's voice serves as the lead instrument, and is clearly at the forefront of the mix, and her style and delivery fits the overall mood very well. The overall choice of sounds, mixing and mastering of the album are exquisite. There is not a single instance of instruments fighting for space or getting lost in the mix. Everything has enough space to really breathe. Even the most subtlest synth passes and percussive clicks are there to be heard. And there are a lot of subtle details and changes that the tracks build over time, rewarding the active listener.

This is not an album you put into earbuds while riding the subway. It needs to be listened to in a noise-free environment from good headphones or speakers to be fully appreciated. In an age that rewards music that can fight with the noise that permeates modern life, the subtle production is a bold choice that plays well with the themes found within the album and it's done masterfully. The mastering done by Pete Maher who has had a long career working with various artists including U2 and Nine Inch Nails serves as the wonderful finishing touch to it all.

The album opens with the gentle electric piano chords of 13th Hour. A rhythm somewhat reminiscent of 90s R'n'B then kicks in, with Megan's singing floating over it. Occasional arpeggios and airy, resonant synths swirl around the stereo image. The arpeggio unfurls and then the song moves into it's chorus which is colored by subtle synth hits and passes of almost flute-like synth. The track has a very dreamlike atmosphere, the association furthered by the ”I don't know if I am awake or dreaming” line of lyrics that comes up in the chorus. The song follows a kind of an extended pop formula, cycling through several verses and choruses, spaced by a very brief pause. Each repeat brings some kind of small repeat to the synth elements looming in the background, setting the structural formula for much of the album.

Under Your Knife is sheer trip-hop with it's ultra low bass, thumping kicks and clicky percussion. Subtle sweeps of synth brass and glitchy sound effects lurk in the background. The chorus has a bit more of a synthpop flavor, featuring an arpeggiated, deep bassline and a bit prominent splashes of synth brass. The track also features Michael Garret Steele as a guest vocalist, turning it into a kind of a dark duet about being under the influence of another. The track drips with possessive, gothic romance.

Possession (Your Love) opens with a mix of atmospheric synths and bass arps that could serve as the opening to a more typical retrowave-oriented song. Instead, it follows the more dreamy, downtempo quality the previous songs have demonstrated. The verses feature a slow, stripped-down four-to-the-floor beat, arpeggiated synth bass and rolling, sharp synths which give the track an almost industrial-like quality. The dreamy choruses are pure synthpop, with passes of high-pitched twinkly synths and bending string-like synths giving it extra color.

A heavily filtered bouncy bassline and deep kicks open Wicked Thing. Occasional passes of echoing guitars dance over the beat with Megan's singing. Snare drums and hihats come in and the song comes alive for it's driving chorus, before returning to it's much subtler verse. The mix of the danceable beat and the atmospheric guitars makes this perhaps the most openly Depeche Mode-influenced song on the album. One of my personal favorites from the album.

Jealousy begins bass synths squirming around the stereo field before coming together the form the backbone for a beat that's a bit heavier than on the previous songs. Soaring lead guitars meet Megan's vocals. The choruses feature cool high-pitched synths lurking at the extreme ends of the stereo field. The song is a bit more energetic, a bit less athmospheric than what has been offered so far. It's also a bit of a thematic shift, as the previous songs had dealt with certain kind of dark romanticism. The subject matter here is dealing with jealousness of other's success, people's fixation with surface level appearances and commercialism. ”No talent to match the kind of money they spend”, ”no-one really thinks who is behind the scenes, it all comes down to marketing”, ”all for the show, it's always about who you know” and ”constant hustling but no-one gives a damn” are among the lyrics. The absolute highlight of the album for me for its energy and frank way of addressing feelings that a lot of musicians have.

Opening with a thumping bass arpeggio and sweeps of airy synth brass, You're Not Alone is perhaps the most retrowave song in the album, having a very synthpop style and the most 1980s inspired sounds. The lyrics deal with pursuing dreams, letting go of things, being ignored despite your best efforts and how sharing your heart with the world leaves you vulnerable. But in the end, there are other people in similar circumstances out there. A kind of tender melancholy permeates the very airy song.

Regrets starts with deep bass hits and airy, resonant synth hits. It offers an interesting interlude, having no lyrics, with Megan singing abstract, melancholic lines over a foreboding beat. A rather sinister sounding interlude splits the track in two, the first half featuring occasional splashes of electric piano arps, the second half featuring a larger variety of synths along Megan's singing. The track oozes with a wonderful dark, mysterious mood and shows Megan's skill at composing melodies. Another personal favorite.

Everything and Nothing is a purely instrumental piece. It begins with a bubbling synth arp that is then joined by weepy synth lines and electric piano chords. Gentle strings sweep in before the track fades out to a part with the electric piano playing lead role. The weepy synths come back in and the track starts adding more and more elements. The electric piano melody changes up, an arpeggiated bassline breaks through the surface and a sharp synth arpeggio joins the dance. The track then strips itself to just the electric piano, a very soft arp and a low bassline before ending.

Offering a return to the vocal pop formula, Control opens with a slow backbeat and pulsing, low basslines. Various synths, passes of electric piano and occasional splashes of bright, twinkly guitars color the melancholic song. The chorus is a bit brighter than the rest of the track and features the guitar more prominently, where it plays in cool interlacing patterns with the synths. The lyrics deal with being judged on social media. ”Don't let them control you from the outside, only you can see the truth from the inside”, Megan reminds us in the chorus. A message sorely needed for these times.

The album ends with Moving On, a trip-hop influenced piece. It features a slow, bassy beat with heavily reverbed guitars swirling around. A higher-pitched, sparse guitar line twinkles over the beat. The track slowly builds more elements on itself, adding clicky, bright synths to the chorus, more prominent guitars, and a string passage. The track is overall somewhat more lusher sounding than the previous ones, and mixed with the slowly building up structure it feels like walking towards the light after being in a dark tunnel. The lyrics of the song are about dealing with pressures and insecurities, and reinforce the impression, ending the album on a cautiously optimistic note. ”Moving on, won't be long till I find my stride, don't wanna waste this life” A well-composed closer and a great way to end the album.

Overall, the album is very well composed and produced, with the aesthetic choices supporting the chosen themes very well. I also found it one that grew better with time as I started picking out the subtler details and lyrics more and more. As for points of critique, I feel like the album could have perhaps benefited from a bit different track order. As of now, the album kind of clusters together several sonically and thematically similar tracks. Perhaps this is an intentional way of building a kind of subtle narrative, but switching a couple of tracks around could have perhaps improved the structure of the album. I also found myself wishing that some of the synths looming in the background could have been just ever so slightly more forward in the mix.

Beyond the high merits of composition and production, I found the lyrical themes of especially the latter half to be extremely relevant. The feelings of frustration of others getting ahead of you and the paradoxical sense of being simultaneously ignored and judged on social media and feeling burned out with grinding and hustling are probably far more pervasive in the indie music scene. It takes real courage to bring those feelings out and deal with them in as mature way as Megan has done here. The suffering artist, the ”it's called painting because it requires pain” mentality may be to some extent harmful myths, but there is real value in using music to handle negative emotions, those inner demons.

The album is well-worth a listen for everyone who is interested in darker strands of pop music or trip-hop, but also worth a listen if you are a musician struggling with feelings of irrelevancy, invisibility or frustration. After repeated listens I started to find the album rather cathartic. I can't really remember any other album that would have been perhaps as thematically relevant for indie musicians as this one. Megan McDuffee indeed isn't alone with these inner demons and with this album she has proven herself not only as an accomplished composer, producer and singer, but also as someone willing to tackle difficult matters. I eagerly await her future ventures.

Keep updated with Megan McDuffee’s work: https://meganmcduffee.bandcamp.com

DIMI KAYE - Soulkiller

Written by C Z A R I N A with Excerpts from Dimi Kaye’s Press Release

"Welcome, fool. You have come of your own free will to the appointed place. The game is over.

Only fools enter Nightmare City, a virtual hub in the depths of the Net to discover the most precious commodity of our bleak future: Information.

Explore, you never know what you'll find behind dark alleys but be careful. As in real life, this is a world made by others, with their rules and biases. Their viruses may hunt you down like rabid dogs, the data fortresses you're building might crash on you in an instant, you might lose more than what you bargained for when you deal with the devil in the machine.

If your crime is that of curiosity though, by all means, enter. After all, "fool" is another word for the ‘hero’.”

-Soulkiller

Dark synth and cyberpunk are often drawn from the machine-like atmospheric and cinematic sound designs in post-apocalyptic, tech noir films and video games about machines taking over society and enslaving humanity. The genres easily offer themselves to conceptual narratives done in sound as we have seen in several bodies of dark synth projects - one recently in Franz by Elay Arson, a record about a monstrous Frankenstein-esque machine that had gone rogue at the Tesla plant. Now, Greece-based synth and guitar hero Dimi Kaye unveils his cyberpunk and dark synth concept record, Soulkiller. The concept of the record was inspired by the short essay The Conscience of a Hacker, which Dimi first heard being recited in the movie Hackers. The title tracks were also inspired by the CD Project video game Cyberpunk 2077. Each of the 6 tracks blend mid tempo drums, dark basslines, sometimes dissonant rhythm guitars and a touch of slightly odd time rhythms.

Originally written as an exercise for Dimi’s YouTube channel, the tracks in Soulkiller were conceptualized while the hype for Cyberpunk 2077 was still at its peak. Out of his own reverie for dark and retro futuristic art, Dimi took inspiration for the track titles from the video game: Dark Alley, Nightmare City, R.A.B.B.I.D.S., DataKrash, The Fool, Soulkiller. But it was the movie Hackers that helped him tie the tracks together into a fully-fleshed out record, building the story around the “Hacker Manifesto,” which he read after rewatching the film.

Soulkiller opens with Dark Alley, a very pensive mid-tempo, arpeggiated slow-burn intro track with dark monk-like drone vocals in the backdrop while catchy and melodic sine bells playfully entrance and hover over. The breakdown with the chime bell sequence over the bass attack between the beautifully crafted sonic snare and kick actually invokes a bit of the legendary Nobuo Uematsu’s work in Final Fantasy VII RPG game - the same unsettling, pensive treatment in the game’s underground and Shinra Corporation scenes.

Nightmare City enters and this track and the following track give hint at Dimi’s irrefutable reputation as a master composer of his own right. Nightmare City starts off laid back with a mid-tempo back beat, then builds with distorted rhythm guitars with beautifully dispersed staccato synths before the breakdown. It opens into a very emotional guitar lead that only Dimi knows how to emotively perform into a lamentful swan song and it continues on its subdued nature, setting the stage for the next track. If one listens in closely this track actually carries a very symphonic and orchestral writing, which is something normally seen in metal - which doesn’t come as a surprise with Dimi’s metal background.

The tempo picks up with R.A.B.B.I.D.S. which invokes the classic video game boss battle vibes. Over the monk-like drone pads and hyper rhythm section, the track pushes through, guided with Dimi’s downright badass speedy rhythm guitars. It gives brief breaks into double metal kicks and then elevates into Dimi’s epic and sublime signature guitar shreds that every metal lover could really sink their teeth into.

The video game vibes continue on in DataKrash. Slower in tempo, the track dredges listeners into dark ominous terrains, ushered by Dimi’s fantastic speedy rhythmic guitars. Crystalline and shimmery arpeggiated toplines hover in and out of the track in support of the overall moodier, subdued bass undercurrents, leading into a menacing odd-metered drum, bass and synth hook resolve.

The Fool enters with a sampled quote by the late great Sir Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle on the movie The Wickerman (1973), another one of Dimi’s all time favourite films. Brassy synths exalt over the foreboding bass arp, harkening Dimi’s fellow esteemed Greek, the legendary Vangelis’ early works, sprinkled with tantric arpeggiated synth leads. Similar to Dark Alley, The Fool starts pensive and brooding right before breaking into another one of Sir Christopher Lee’s sampled quote. Then the track escalates into up-tempo rhythm and dynamics with some jazzy arpeggiated synth leads that immediately grow into earworms.

Dimi definitely saved his very best for last in the album’s title track, Soulkiller. The track savoringly features all of Dimi’s guitar prowess that earned him his title as master guitarist. Dimi savagely slays through in multi-toned, dynamic lead riffs. The track is tastefully pared down in arrangements with the steady back-beats and sustained long bass notes. But it paves way and milks Dimi’s speedy guitar heroics which delightfully move into polyrhythmic odd meters at times. It truly is a great marvel to see someone make their guitar sing like a majestic Valkyrie in opera, and Dimi definitely delivers in this one.

From start to finish, Soulkiller remains confidently strong, unbothered, unhurried, and supremely solid. It is distinctively relaxed and focuses more on the sonic terrains that invoke the video game treatments this record was inspired by. The most thrilling aspect is that it tastefully showcases Dimi’s guitar and synth mastery in nonchalance without being ostentatious, exemplifying a very centered and grounded approach between emotional delivery and musical bravado that focuses on the experience - a mark of ascended mastery.

Also, for those who are fans of the game and the Netflix series, make sure to check out Dimi Kaye’s fantastic synthwave cover of Toss A Coin To Your Witcher.

Soulkiller is now available on Bandcamp.
Follow Dimi Kaye here.

NINA - Carnival Night

Berlin-based synthwave icon and golden girl, Nina Boldt, or just simply NINA, pushes the envelop and takes us to the carnival witching hour with the fresh new single from her trilogy of summer releases, “Carnival Night.” Co-produced with fellow synth great and guitar hero Radio Wolf, Carnival Night is a very directional, conceptual synth track that explores juxtapositions of darker shades and haunting treatments with vibrant, bejeweled sonic soundscapes. Very rarely we see NINA take a slightly darker route, but this track is one of her most unique gems yet. “Carnival Night” starts with this striking kaleidoscope of augmented synth arpeggiated multi-variant patches that hauntingly deviate from scale at times. This somehow perfectly sets up the environment, which we envision to be retro VHS images of bejeweled lights in a carnival scene. NINA’s signature crystalline and angelic voice enters with her perfect harmonies over stylized lo-fi electronic kit and moody atmospheric guitars. The track moves into a dramatic breakdown where NINA arrests listeners with a spell-binding chant before crescendoing in powerful unison with Radiowolf’s sonic, prog-tinted, darkwave synth lead riff that seems to invoke The Cure and Robert Smith. The result is a real dark fantasy and a delightfully unique dark jewel which confirms that NINA’s creative growth and exploration with her artistic vision know no limits. NINA bravely pushes her own space and takes ownership of new directional concepts and sounds along with partner-in-crime, Radio Wolf.

We look forward to the rest of her Summer Trilogy!

For more NINA, visit her on Spotify

THE G - Wanderers

Review by Vero Kitsune

Los Angeles-based Synthwave artist G. Brown, also known as THE G, has recently joined in synthwave and retrowave stalwart New Retrowave Records (NRW) artist roster, which includes synth greats Ollie Wride, Michael Oakley, Jessie Frye, Futurecop! and Parallels. The G initially garnered attention with the release of his first two dynamite offerings - Cosmopolis (2017) and Concrete Island (2018) - and has since built a sonic brand evoking “daydreams, endless summer nights and the romance of the open road.” After four years in the making, The G unveils his latest full-length record, Wanderers under the NRW umbrella. The 11-track grand opus deviates from the usual confines of electronic music production by incorporating live drums and guitar performances into his signature neon-lit, retro soundscapes. Featuring a host of notable talents like Dimi Kaye, Michelle B., JJ Mist, Vandal Moon, Vampire Step-Dad, Wanderers carries a mix of 5 vocals and 6 instrumental tracks to create a seamless yet tonally and emotionally varied, introspective experience.

“There are a lot of great synthwave albums, but most give you ten tracks of the same vibe. I wanted to capture the wider range of feelings and moods that a person actually experiences. But most of all, Wanderers is about that yearning to explore, which we’ve been cut off from for the past year,” The G explains. “Most of my songs are about driving LA at night and being emo while doing it,” he humorously adds. We can definitely relate.

Wanderers starts off with “Starshine" - a very moody, dramatic intro composed of gently shimmering top lines over gradating warm, tubed synths pads reminiscent of classic lo-fi ‘80s movie scores. The track pushes and pulls in a soothing, calming lull, generating a meditative state which sets up the stage for the following track. In a bold, unexpected maneuver, “Memories of Ice” jumps right in and hits hard in full blazing thunder as one of the record’s highlights, immediately delivering an exhilarating, action-packed arpeggiated thrill. “Memories of Ice” features a riveting guitar performance by one of the very few “master shredders” in the synth scene, Dimi Kaye, layered with catchy synth hooks over the massive outrun dynamics that would make one want to jump into an F1 racing game. The record makes a swift return to dreamscapes with the title track and the record’s first single, “Wanderers,” showcasing an effervescent vocal performance by Michelle B. reminiscent of young Stevie Nicks. “Wanderers” contains reflective nostalgia vibes, starting with crystalline arps over Michelle B.’s honey-coated, perfectly loose, emotive melodic delivery. The record then takes a smooth turn, transitioning into a colder, moodier vibe in “Lights,” featuring The G’s effortlessly cool vocal delivery and catchy hooks. The track is remarkably low-key and uncomplicated with classic back-beats and simple top line melodies, yet it still drives with The G’s sensitive sound choices over the undulating undercurrents that seem to carry the track on a steady flowing freeway.

The G takes us back into dreamland in the instrumental track “Dreamtime,” featuring heraldic, celestial arps that seem to harken intergalactic rainbow roads and glittering neon-grid dimensions perpetuating in every ‘80s childhood memories. Similar to “Lights,” “Dreamtime” ebbs and flows more on the delicate, subdued side in its writing, yet the stylistic sound choices bring out the vibrant hues and inherent richness of its memorable, heart-felt dynamics. Michelle B.’s vocal prowess makes a return in “Away,” providing stunning cadences in her emotive delivery that first brings warmth and 70s-type of retro tenderness to the pastel-hued, pillowy track before climbing into pitch-perfect crescendoes that compel listeners to sing along. The record maintains its cool cruise with “Gardens of the Moon” - another track that discards superfluous embellishments and confidently utilizes steady-streaming, single variant arps and pared down melodic Eastern scales that turn into ear worms over time.

Darkwave artist Vandal Moon makes a dashing appearance in “Remember“ and delivers a very lush vocal performance reminiscent of Robert Smith, bringing unexpected dark jewel tones and a nice deep contrast to the record’s overall glistening neon and pastel palette. This track showcases The G’s ability to divert and explore darker realms outside of synthwave, yet still manages to maintain cohesive sonic qualities while creating a relevant bridge and intersection between two distinguished genres. Retrowave artist JJ Mist guest stars in the youthful hyper ballad “Can’t Wait,” invoking sand-blasted teenage dreams, shoulder pads, corkscrew hair and Lisa Frank perfumed stationery. The record eases into the smoke-filled, slow-build number “Out There” featuring Vampire Step-Dad. The track showcases gentle, tingling melodic top notes and star-lit glimmering arpeggios paving way for a grand guitar crescendo. Wanderers finishes its sonic journey with “Spiral,” an instrumental finale that retains the record’s overall minimalistic approach, but fills all the gaps with imagery of emotional, neon-lit bold strokes. The track harkens the spirit of a new dawn, fresh awakenings and gentle breeze brought by sun-kissed oceans to welcome summer, captivating listeners with hope and longing in blissful surrender.

If this were visual art, Wanderers could be easily described as a series of refined watercolor pieces - delicate and transparent with nothing superfluous or overdone that could easily mar a placid landscape. The record defiantly discards all the usual pretenses of musical bravado or over-the-top athleticism, but rather leverages understated and low-key dynamics in its own romantic way. Wanderers exemplifies The G’s sincere and unique approach and sensitivity to details established in his choice of wave forms, emotional cadences in compositional delivery, and how slight shifts in stylistic choices truly make a world of difference, giving color to dynamics and soundscapes. The perfect description for this record is “perfectly chill” with its own share of peaks and valleys that provide listeners with a beautiful, vast spectrum of hooks, dramatic moods and unexpected jewels to sink their teeth into and satiate the crave for cinematic nostalgia. Less is often truly more. Wanderers serves synthwave and retrowave lovers all the way through as a solid offering and an instant classic staple.

To keep updated with The G, visit newretrowave.bandcamp.com