Cold Wave
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Cold Wave is post-punk and minimal synth made austere: icy drum machines, chorus-heavy guitar, severe vocals, gray atmospheres, analog synth lines and a European sense of emotional distance. It is colder and more minimal than most new wave, less romantic than later darkwave and more punk-rooted than synth-pop. The style often sounds like concrete, winter light and private dread translated into simple machines.
History
The term is especially associated with French and Belgian post-punk/minimal-synth scenes, though its borders overlap with darkwave, minimal wave and early industrial pop. Kas Product, Martin Dupont, Trisomie 21, Guerre Froide, Asylum Party, Little Nemo, Marquis de Sade and Norma Loy became key reference points. Cold wave later returned through reissues, goth clubs and minimal-synth revival, where its stripped-down bleakness felt newly modern.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- cold wave and minimal wave histories
- Born Bad and Dark Entries reissue notes
- AllMusic coldwave/darkwave overviews
- French post-punk scene guides