Neon City

It is not a surprise that Synthwave music, with its romanticised retro futuristic sounds, would show its greatest expansion and transformation in a time when the need for a distraction from reality is at its highest.

The wider retro culture and visual aesthetic of Synthwave feels almost as important as the music itself.

Repetition and escalation are key ingredients in establishing a mood, and arpeggio covers both bases, with the melody steadily evolving via note by note progression. This is especially true of tense and suspenseful situations, where danger is immediately present or possibly lurking behind a shadowy corner.

Outdrive, Outrun, Outlast; welcome to the future that never happened.