Synth Single Review: “Who Will Go For Us?” by Sunset Cassette ’87

by Karl Magi

Sunset Cassette ’87’s “Who Will Go For Us?” is gentle and meditative. The track begins as solidly throbbing, shadowy bass moves with a guiding drum pulse. The expanding low end blends with iridescent, bell-like notes while rounded, gliding chords add breadth. 

The main melody carries timeless gentleness and a hint of mystery as it hovers in a vast bass void. Tinkling bells join the rhythm, ringing with diamantine delicacy while the melody drifts in a diffuse cloud of warming light. As percussion drops away, the notes grow fragile and tenuous, a thin thread connecting our souls to the world. 

Once again, the massive low end spreads outward while the melody echoes with heartfelt softness and diamantine tones glimmer and soothe. Relaxation permeates the track, mingled with melancholy and meditative musing, before iridescent light suffuses the music and silence falls.

Synth Single Review: “Time Flies” by UAP

by Karl Magi

UAP’s “Time Flies” is a reminder to keep moving forward and persevering. The song kicks off as a dynamic beat is joined by a firelit synth carrying a series of radiant chords. The main melody is delivered through UAP’s gauzy voice, capturing the encouragement and hope embedded in the lyrics. Shining chords climb as the vocals punch with positivity and a reminder of human potential.

Arcing tones leap while a trumpeting synth is slashed by harder sounds and the grit-edged vocals exude strength and perseverance. The drumbeat continues to roll as UAP galvanizes me with his moving performance. Iridescent tones shine and arpeggios rise, trumpeting notes ringing out with energetic joy as the rhythm throbs on. Luminous chords flash while the slightly rough vocal delivery deepens the emotion, brassy notes flickering before silence falls.

Even though no one sees the light of your desire, it’s still “like a diamond in the night, burning bright.” The narrator describes it as “a scar hidden under sleeves, helping to protect your soul from thieves.” He adds that desire will “lift you higher, high-voltage wired,” encouraging the listener to spark a fire and beam.

Our storyteller adds that there’s nobody waiting for you and all you have to do is “start the fire now, because time flies and you know…” He asks if the listener can feel the veiled power that “leads you while you’re on the trail.”

He concludes by saying, “It’s time for you to show, though no one waits for you, it’s you who makes the rules.”

Synth Single Review: “Outrunning the Stars” by eLxAr & OutRunner

by Karl Magi

eLxAr & OutRunner’s “Outrunning the Stars” takes us on a layered, soaring journey across the galaxy. The track opens as a cutting synth moves rapidly and chords flash with soft light. A gliding rhythm trips through the music as angular sounds intertwine and lambent chords flicker. As celestial tones rise, they spill out starry light. The background flows with cosmic brilliance, like stars in a velvet sky, capturing timeless emotions.

The underpinnings continue to throb with guiding force while interlocking synth sounds add softness. The drums drop away as string-like textures flow past like galaxies. Soothing notes tremble out into openness, like quick glimpses of glowing planets, as chords pour out nebular light.

A thumping beat returns with hollow pulsation as vibrating tones shimmer and percussive force launches. Piano-like notes slip past with a tender gleam while the underlayer drives. OutRunner unleashes a guitar solo full of passion and flying dynamism, crying out intricately as it sweeps by. I imagine myself caught in a solar wind, gliding past sublime interstellar structures and mysterious planets. As the rebounding beat presses on, glowing notes spill brightness and the track comes to an end.

Synth Single Review: “Gray” by Lovespirals

by Karl Magi

Lovespirals’ “Gray” captures emptiness and hurt as it evolves. The song opens with Ryan Lum’s guitar strumming and a slowly ticking percussive beat. The guitar’s warmth washes through the music as Anji Lum’s voice arrives hushed and bittersweet, carrying lyrics imbued with ache and loss.

Strumming notes flicker while the vocals float with restrained pain, and exhaling tones in the distance drift like shreds of mist. The drums create a fragile rhythm that threads its way through the song while Anji Lum’s voice pushes deep into me, capturing hurt and shadowed depression.

An acoustic guitar adds texture as Ryan Lum’s electric guitar howls with broken emotion, the vocals filigreed with sadness. Drifting notes vibrate with vulnerability as the bass swirls and the guitar adds a final delicate flicker before the song comes to an end.

As “everything grows colorless and gray,” even on the brightest days, the storyteller says that “nothing anyone could do or say will make it go away.” She feels as if everyone else has moved on while she stays in place, “unwilling to jump into the fray.”

She can’t find anything to keep “this creep at bay” or dispel it. “Once there was a time, I swear I knew golden light and skies of endless blue,” when laughter illuminated her path like a spark, but now it’s only gray.