Synthpop, a genre made popular in the 1980s, has made an uncanny comeback in the last year. However, not all the bands trying to revamp the indie, pop, electronic trend have accomplished all they set out to do.
In 2015 there was a collective resurrection of the synthpop genre. Artists such as CHVRCHES, Grimes, and MS MR all put out albums revolutionizing a new type of synthpop, one with mainly female vocals facilitating the dramatic downtempo tracks, as well as the high energy dance songs.
Unfortunately, many of the new synthpop sounds coming out have been entirely unoriginal compared to other music being produced today, failing to generate the unique sound found in the ’80s. Wet is no exception to this. Its new album is undoubtedly catchy as it has all of the main characteristics of modern synthpop: the love ballad themes, pungent trap drum beats, synth pads galore, and sounds you will absolutely want to sway back and forth to, but Wet’s new album, “Don’t You,” lacks substance behind the mask of synth resurgence.
Groups in the late 1970s and ‘80s — Soft Cell, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, and Depeche Mode — pioneered a new kind of music, combining pop and rock musical styles through the synthesizer. Each band had different sounds, either from unique vocal sounds, or a different synth and pattern. Not every vocalist was male or female; essentially, there was variety.
The bands that experimented with synthpop in the 1980s can’t be critiqued for unoriginality, because the whole genre was new and exciting at its initiation. The sound itself may not have appealed to every listener, but there was room for a new style to be born.
In the late ’80s synth started getting heavier and the music went from sounding like a strange adaptation of rock music to being “techpop,” a genre based more on synth and dance beats than had been found in earlier releases. This is what modern synthpop is based off in slight ways; however, there is also clearly an influence from other electronic genres who use their own synth sounds and beats behind female vocalists.
The issue with modern techpop or indie synthpop is that there is little variety within the genre. Wet approaches “Don’t You” with the same fervor and style as the many artists that put out modern synthpop in 2015; however, as a 2016 album, “Don’t You” falls short of surpassing other albums’ greatness due to a lack of originality.
Essentially there is nothing offensive about “Don’t You.” There are many commendable things about the album, including the catchiness and danceability of nearly every song. However, within the album, it’s difficult to differentiate between one track and the next; and it’s important to keep in mind this album resembles many similar albums from 2015.
On another note, if you’re looking for a larger library of generic indie, high-vocal, synthpop, similar to CHVRCHES’ “Every Open Eye,” or Grimes’ “Art Angels,” you’ve hit the jackpot with “Don’t You.”
The verdict: If you have and love the synthpop revival albums produced in 2015, this could be the perfect (although cliche) album for you.
Key tracks:
“It’s All in Vain”: This track pulls from many different camps of music. It’s lined with smooth R&B vocals, trap drum beats, and creative lyric structure.
“Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl” and “Small and Silver”: A couple of the more popular and groovy tracks on the album, these songs are great if you’re looking for some good party music.
Reach Special Sections Editor Rebecca Gross at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
