15 Essential New Romantic & Synthpop Songs

Everyone is familiar with the classic hit records and chart topping releases from the early 1980s, but this video seeks to share 15 essential non hits from that era. You'll know many of the artists on the list for sure; Gary Numan, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, Heaven 17... but the records chosen are deeper cuts which may have passed you by; showing the development and formation of the genres. Good stuff, here's more from the video... 

When people talk about the early years of New Romantic and Synthpop, the focus is usually on the hit singles. But in 1980 and 1981, the sound was still forming, and many important tracks were never written for the charts. This video is a personal selection of fifteen non-hit tracks from that short period. Album tracks and non-hit singles by artists who helped shape the sound before it became clearly defined. Rather than ranking songs or analysing them, this film focuses on mood and context, tracing a moment when synthesizers, image, and songwriting were still being worked out. These tracks sit just before the shift towards wider success and a more commercial sound.

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