Synthpop revival

The synthpop revival is a genre of music related to the post-punk revival and often similarly defined.

Synthpop revivalists, as opposed to post-punk revivalists, focus on the synth bands of the 1980s and keyboard-based music, while post-punk revival bands focus on guitar-based acts like The Smiths.

History (early 1990s-2003)

In the early 1990s, the synthpop popular throughout the 1980s became unpopular because of criticism for its lack of soul and passion. By 1992, even post-punk acts could no longer sell because Grunge had taken their place.

As early as 1994, there was nostalgia for the New Wave music of the early 1980s - Blur made a song called Girls & Boys that year which was clearly a tribute back to the days when synthpop was popular.

The house music of the 1990s was strongly influenced by synthpop.

Synthpop revival (2004-present)

In the mid 2000s, interest in 1980s synthpop was strong , and a few bands, including most importantly The Killers, mixed the current 1990s rock sound with 1980s synth sounds.

The 2003 album Give Up by The Postal Service was a very important point in the history of the synthpop revival - not only did it heavily echo influence of Depeche Mode, Phil Collins and The Human League, but it tied the emo and indie genres to the synthpop revival.

This growing interest in electronic rock allowed other alternative rock and emo bands, including Cobra Starship, Metro Station and Hellogoodbye to successfully adapt a 1980s-like synthpop sound.

Some pop stars of the era, including Rihanna and Gwen Stefani recorded synthpop songs, and other pop stars from the late 2000s, such as Lady GaGa and Lights are considered synthpop.

Sounds and Lyrics

Synthpop in the 2000s has its own distinct sound, created by modern DAW software and programs like Fruity Loops, and could generally be said to be more similar to 1980s synthpop than say, house music of the 1990s was.

The drum beats tend to be minimal, not strong like those used in the 1980s and 1990s, and the synths, while having a similar quality, tend to be only moderately "cheesy".

Lyrics in Synthpop revival music are often sexually themed and contain emo-like idioms.

Romantic songs and songs about technology are also common, as are gay-themed songs, reflecting life and issues in the early 21st century.

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