Synth Rock
tagStarted 1978Peak 1979-1984Last big hit 1986
Located in 2 routes
Rock structures with synthesizers as the lead voice, not decoration. Buzzing analog leads run through guitar effects, cold robotic vocals, mechanical drum patterns and dystopian, alienated themes. Keeps rock's verse-chorus drive and occasional guitar but builds hooks from synth riffs. Chrome-plated, glacial, futurist, paranoid.
History
Pioneered when Gary Numan and Tubeway Army topped UK charts in 1979 with synths fed through guitar pedals, inspired by John Foxx-era Ultravox, Bowie's Low and Kraftwerk. Australian (Icehouse) and US (Berlin, Missing Persons) acts followed, fusing new-wave rock energy with electronic textures before the style merged into broader 80s pop.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Numan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicas_(album)
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/synth-pop-ma0000002601