Coldwave
tagStarted 1980Peak 1985-1990Last big hit 1992From France
Located in 3 routes
The French post-punk strain: controlled, depressive and literally colder than punk. Chiming or chorused guitars, melodic synths, drum-machine pulse and detached, often French-language vocals draped in melancholy. Melodic but desolate, sitting between gothic rock and minimal synth. Wistful, glacial, romantic and grey.
History
Coldwave is the French adjective for post-punk, taking root around 1980 with Lille's Trisomie 21. A second wave centered on the late-80s 'Touching Pop' movement (Asylum Party, Little Nemo, Mary Goes Round), blending gothic and dream-pop melody with cold-wave bleakness. Long obscure, it was rediscovered in the 2000s minimal-wave revival.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://crackmagazine.net/article/lists/20-definitive-cold-wave-artists/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_Party
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Nemo_(band)
- https://noisegun.com/french-goth-coldwave/