NEW ARCADES – Until Now ; The Decade Retrospective (2022)
You got the band name with reference to vintage computer games then you have a retro neon-glow cover art, make no mistake, British based NEW ARCADES is a group using vintage synths (and contemporary production) alongside melodic poppy vocals to create a unique and nostalgic, ’80s inspired sound.
New Arcades have been making dreamy synthwave longer than most people have heard of the genre, 10 years. This is why their new album has such an appropriate title: ”Until Now ; The Decade Retrospective”, featuring some of the band’s personal favorites – plus a brand new unreleased track.
They’ve been featured in several films and their music played on radio stations around the world – an odd chart to success opposite of what is often seen. All that time has allowed them to fully develop their aesthetic, taking the route of retro synthpop much the same as The Midnight and Michael Oakley, songs filled with endless radio-worthy vocals and snappy, catchy hooks.
For a band I associate almost entirely with catchy dreampop vocals, they really manage to pack a punch with some extremely well-produced and pure instrumentals.
Vocals do feature in the majority of tracks which is great because it adds substance to the notion that you can always recognise a ‘new arcades’ track when you hear one. And what we like about it is they have a concealed gentleness to them, they’re not trying to take up all the space available and push the synths and percussions in to the backdrop.
With a detailed production above the the common heard from the genre, ”Until Now ; The Decade Retrospective” takes you back to an era – the Eighties – when synth-pop music was something worth to, entertaining, fun.
Highly Recommended
01 – Reappear
02 – Reflections
03 – Wherever You Are
04 – Retribution
05 – Motives
06 – Life Moves Pretty Fast
07 – More Than This (feat. LulaRitchie)
08 – From the Dark
09 – Fade
10 – Hideaway
11 – Yours (feat. Sarah Bird)
Dean Canty – vocals, bass, synths
Adam Sullivan – vocals, guitar, synths
LulaRitchie – vocals
Sarah Bird – vocals
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www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09RXS867V
