In 2010 Drive had yet to be released and the synthwave and new retrowave scene had not yet fully matured. Around this time a London-based band called Summer Camp released their debut EP, “Youth.”
“Youth” was not an attempt at synthwave or retrowave, terms which weren’t used much back in 2010. Summer Camp instead took aim at the then-hot genres of indie and electropop, and added a dash of nostalgia for good measure. Their inaugural single “Round the Moon,” somewhat missed it’s genre mark in the best of ways, creating instead an early example of proto-synthwave and retrowave.
“Round the Moon” is particularly interesting, as you can hear many hallmarks of now-familiar genres, yet it seems they were created from an entirely different angle than the neon outrun style that had yet to become. Not only that – the song is utterly fantastic! Smash that play button and travel back to 2010.
