Two short years ago Sung released “Fahrenheit”- his first full-length album after four EPs and more than five years of synthwave production. All that time spent refining his signature sound paid off massively – and “Fahrenheit” rocketed to the upper ranks of NRW’s Top 10 Albums of 2018.
Now, Sung is back again with his sophomore full-length release, “Monster” – and what an impressive monster it is!
Some have said recently that “synthwave is dead,” but “Monster” to me is a perfect example of why that is untrue. Although admittedly some segments of the synthwave genre have become stale with repeated chord progressions from pretenders to the retro throne, Sung is a perfect example of continued sonic synthwave innovation in the face of oversaturation.
“Monster” is filled with Sung’s meticulously crafted melodies packaged in a new form. Not only has he added some interesting non-pop (finally) vocals reminiscent of a Trevor Something release, he’s also revisited the very roots of synthwave.
Taking a large nod from Danger’s 2017 release “Taiko,” there is a deep cinematic quality that has been crafted for this release. Also here are plenty of nods towards Justice’s French house synth stabs and wide, powerful synths.
However, where other artists sought to infuse French house into their albums in a bid for dancefloor intensity, here Sung has strayed away from house and more perfectly integrated them with a synthwave sound.
Couple that with amazing new melodies that feel familiar – such as in “Menace” – and you have instant nostalgia – not even for the 80s, but the mid-2000’s that birthed the very genre.
