On the Crest of a Wavewulf

Synthwave has been one of the real surprise packages in terms of genre development in music – not just that an area of music which felt relatively unloved even back in the 70s and 80s has so many fans but also that the consistency is so good across the array of acts appearing.

Such is the case with Wavewulf, a lone wolf in the sense that he is very much a one-band band, those his sizable collection of vintage synths perhaps makes up for this fact! His recent debut full-length release, Green Decay not only captures the sound of many of his electronic heroes but also doffs its cap to Brian Eno’s “Another Green World”, using the title to also refer to the current environmental plight of the planet.

Even the track titles have the bloopy, squelch of 70s and 80s synth warlords: Android Cathedrals (an album highlight); the Blade Runner soundscape of Kyoto Nights and the computer game theme that never happened, Through the Black Hole Star. It’s skill is taking the sterile world of computerised sound and giving it real soul, something to indeed be applauded.