Synthwave Sunday: Shyguys, Venture

Lazerdiscs Records is straight murdering right now in the synthwave scene. After releasing last year’s best synthwave album — the stunning, danceable, heart-pumping Bionic Chrysalis by Deadlife — the French label (of course French) has championed a nonstop parade of killer releases by Absolute Valentine, Carbon Killer, Opus Science Collective and a sophomore release from Deadlife, among others. Where synthwave has grown stagnant the past two years as the genere’s popularity has exploded, Lazerdiscs has pushed ahead with forward-thinking new acts, no easy feat in a retro-inspired scene.

The label’s newest release sees a Swedish duo known as Shyguys kick out the same kind of hard-charging, fist-in-the-air jams that made the Deadlife and Carbon Killer records so captivating, with a few masterfully crafted wistful ballads thrown in as well. They’ve got a keen sense for melody — every song on the duo’s debut Venture has a hook that’ll sink its razor-sharp, synthy barb into your ears —  but what really strikes me is the duo’s penchant for arrangements and sonic layering. There’s no such thing as a sparse soundscape on Venture; it’s layer upon layer of sounds, all well-placed, all contributing to the overall atmosphere and mood. Perhaps that’s the strength two members instead of the genre’s standard one-man operation brings to the table: more than just four hands, the big advantage is having two sets of ears.

Venture comes out on July 6th and can be pre-ordered here. Stream it in full exclusively via MetalSucks’ Synthwave Sunday below.