Do it. Judge this album from its cover. Screams ’80s from every corner, every bit of its music too. “Afterglow” is the new album from synthwave band FURY WEEKEND / its mastermind Ars Nikonov.
ury Weekend been making ‘waves’ in the retrowave scene from some time but “Afterglow” is its finest piece. This album is pure Eighties pop and a good, addictive one. These melodic songs abound in glittery paint, easy to the ears. Ars called the best colleagues / singers from the scene – some of them already featured at plotn08.org such as Platforms, Ollie Wride – to put a distinctive stamp on each song, resulting in a varied yet cohesive ‘lost ’80s album’ appeared in 2023.
“Afterglow” is loaded with Ars’ signature style, mixing bold synth melodies with electric guitar and smooth vocals, all with top-flight production.
Ars Nikonov has established one of the largest followings in synthwave through a number of past albums, though “Afterglow” marks a significant milestone in Fury Weekend’s career, delivering a wealth of great ’80s pop music.
If you like retro Eighties sounds with the synth all powerful, great rhythms, and the occasional rock guitar, this is for you. The opener ‘Delirious’ hooks you right in and could have been a Johnny Hates Jazz outtake. It features mates The Anix.
Hot on its heels is ‘Dangerous’ featuring PRIZM and a female vocal, very synth-wavey and very cool. Next up ‘Soul Survivor’ (with synth-pop legend Ollie Wride, also FM-84 frontman) is more funky with a really good chorus too.
At times the album evokes some sub-Terminator soundtrack fused with ’80s synth pop. And there may be read across because Enigma’s Michael Cretu produced the German artist Sandra who is represented here with her 1985’s hit ‘Maria Magdalena’. This, the only cover on the album, is interpreted by female vocalist King Protea. It has a rather appealing vibe.
There’s a club vibe on ‘Sad Boy’ (featuring Nouveau Arcade) that brings to mind a lighter Depeche Mode, whilst ‘Dancing Tonight’ (featuring Maxthor) reminds of Go West and that great vocalist Peter Cox. ‘Velvet Rain’ is another powerful track, this time with the metal band Ravdina.
Fury Weekend joined up with Platforms to drop atmospheric synthwave on ‘Let Go‘. Featuring a passionate vocal performance from Platforms over yearning and thoughtful lyrics laced over a heavy blend of synthesizers, rock guitars, and steady rhythms. ‘Let Go‘ fuses the past and future for an ethereal ballad that’s sure to please fans of both bands.
A couple of instrumentals are worthy too which gives Nikonov free rein, ‘Lady Cocktail’ and closer ‘Into The Utopia’ likely to appeal to fans of cult band The Midnight.
Mostly the album transcends the usual clichés that sometimes affect synth-pop music and synthwave in general.
This can be your new guilty pleasure. The summer never sounded so good.
Highly Recommended
01 – Delirious (feat. The Anix)
02 – Dangerous (feat. PRIZM)
03 – Soul Survivor (feat. OLLIE WRIDE)
04 – Maria Magdalena (feat. King Protea)
05 – Sad Boy (feat. Nouveau Arcade)
06 – Dancing Tonight (feat. Maxthor)
07 – Real Love (feat. Young Medicine)
08 – Lady Cocktail
09 – Let Go (feat. Platforms)
10 – Misery (feat. House Of Serpents)
11 – Velvet Rain (feat. RAVDINA)
12 – Into The Utopia
FURY WEEKEND – Afterglow (2023)
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