Synth music

Voltage surges and retrofuturist visions collide: SOFT RIOT returns with Crux, a masterfully minimalist full-length weaving synth post-punk, darkwave, Italo, and EBM — "disquieting and melodic all at the same time." Von Helfenstein pairs the bamboo-driven drones of Thailand's khaen with modular synths in a seamlessly flowing choose-your-own-adventure album. Modern Ideas channels Depeche Mode and New Order from a Melbourne garage, crafting "plastic dreams, electric romance, and machines humming with human desire," while Demiurgo leads listeners through hypnotic loops and dark atmospheric textures inspired by the myth of Daedalus.