The synthwave scene has thrived in recent years, with many talented artists and bands delivering music worth checking out. However, not many of them can brag about music that goes beyond the classic synthwave clichés. Whether they’re overly exploring their influences by trying to sound exactly like the greats of the genre, experimenting too much with various elements, or just sounding predictable and bland, many of them lack more than necessary substance to become the next big thing on the contemporary music scene. Thankfully, there are bands like Macrowave who are exactly the other side of the spectrum, breaking all the rules and shapeshifting the boundaries of what synthwave music could and should be. With “Imminent,” their latest extended play released several days ago, they demonstrate that imminent impact that the modern scene desperately needed for years. Surely, Macrowave relies upon all those fundamental elements that served as building blocks for synthwave music for decades, but somehow, these experienced musicians figured out how to bend all the possible rules and craft six songs that go beyond anything you heard before. As soon as you press play, you’ll notice all the finest sonic ingredients that define good synthwave music, but if you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll actually realize that this material also relies on some of the finest properties borrowed from metal, darkwave, dubstep, and other bits and pieces borrowed from the entire palette of electronic music. Depending on the song’s mood or ambiance, Macrowave uses these elements as more or less necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details that unquestionably uplift their music to an entirely new level while the duo remains loyal to the primary sonic direction. These are the moments when you realize you’ve been dealing with exceptional songwriters, composers, and musicians, capable of crafting fascinating music worth repeating over and over again.
With “Imminent,” an introductory title track that vividly showcases what you might expect from the remainder of the album, the duo gradually shapes an expansive sonic universe, built upon many lush, dark, complex soundscapes. These sonic maneuvers immediately wrap around your listening apparatus and refuses to let go, preparing you for a thrilling voyage through their entire material. The heavy and glitchy beats perfectly match wobbly basslines, while the cleverly assembled synth leads, themes, and pads lurk above the rhythm section. The duo becomes even more energetic with “Emergence,” a catchy, memorable, engaging composition that flawlessly blends only the finest properties of synthwave, darkwave, and metal music. The synth works become even more progressive, with all those leads, themes, melodies, and soundscapes lurking all around. These interplays between various layers go beyond comprehension so many times throughout the entire composition, showcasing Macrowave’s songwriting and composing abilites to the max. Beneath those synthworks, the vividly hearable, groovy, detailed, heavily distorted basslines offer more heaviness, clarity, and depth while simultaneously serving as a binding element between the mentioned instrumentations and rhyhtmic patterns. Through cleverly assembled beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, Macrowave emphasizes each melody, harmony, theme, and lead, making this song worth revisiting over and over again. The way they construct such colossal, fascinating, beautiful dark themes is vividly hearable on “No Return.” It’s one of those compositions where all the instrumentations serve as a perfect backdrop for all the synths to shine upon. The theme is orchestral, lucuriant, complex, yet it never flashes out too much. These are the moments when you realize that Macrowave thinks about even the tiniest details, nuances, elements, decorations, and accentuations, building a song that will immediately leave a tremendous impact on the listener. The way emotion and aggression collide here is nearly mindblowing, and bands capable of achieving this balance are quite rare nowadays.
“Edge Of Time” continues in the same style, but it does not carry the exact same formula as the previous track. This time, the emphasis is on the jawdropping drumming performance, which arrives like those percussions used before a battle. Each hit over the toms brings more groove, depth, and power, offering tremendous support to the complex synth works. The additional vocal pads bring the cinematic feel to it, making “Edge Of Time” another standout piece of this material. This epic journey comes to an end with “Shattered,” a composition fully stacked with arpeggiated chord progressions, fascinating leads and themes, a gigantic wall of distorted low-end notes, and heavy, reverby, moderate beats. Like previous tracks, this one also carries a dominant, vividly hearable cinematic atmosphere that makes the entire listening experience even more pleasant to the ears. It’s one of those fine pieces of sonic artistry where two incredible musicians understand each other perfectly, delivering one of the finest performances in synthwave and darkwave history. With this EP, Macrowave done more for these genres than any other artist or band has for decades. They provided a rock-solid proof that synthwave, darkwave, electronic, and metal music, when done right, can still sound fresh, unique, exciting, and innovative, just like the first time when you heard it. “Imminent” carries five fascinating compositions that flawlessly showcase two masterminds at work. Their songwriting, composing, arranging, and producing abilities is on full display from scratch to finish, and their experience, knowledge, creativity, talent, and skills shine through every synth lead, bassline, and beats. Microwave’s “Imminent” is an absolute masterpiece, a very important document of modern synthwave music that breaks all the rules and sets the bar high for the remainder of the scene. Therefore, you should immediately head to your favorite streaming platform and check it out.
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