Sunday Morning Medicine: synthwave to soundtrack the pouring rain

by: Alexandra Blair Oct 29, 2017

Sunday Morning Medicine is an eclectic playlist for the chill at heart. Curated weekly, chillers of divergent tastes Alexandra Blair and Michael Cooper bring you a selection of tracks to relax to. Our editorial feature highlights the cream of the crop, but you can follow the official playlist on Spotify.

The first select of the week is a deep cut courtesy of Lazerhawk. The Austin based producer has become known for his prolific catalog of deliciously 80s inspired music and for his role as a founding member of beloved outrun and synth haven Rosso Corsa records. “So Far Away” is a dreamy throwback from the producer’s stacked 2012 LP Visitors. A bright guitar lick meanders through the a lush cloud of synths and a pining, haunting vocal refrain that pulses in and out like a communication from another plane.

B•R•A•U•N’s debut solo LP with Diving Bell Recording Co arrived as a fully formed world for listeners to immerse themselves in. Silent Science is at once inspired by sounds of the past and rooted firmly in the attitudes of the present. Producer Ben Braun has constructed an incredible offering that is easy to get lost in for hours of repeated listening and “Lose It All” is a standout track with vibes for days. Even as the vocals detail a stubborn resolution, Braun’s driving bass line and soaring synth melodies drive the song forward into an irresistible groove.

Cult favorites POLIÇA have made a name for their synthpop outfit over a series of timeless releases and high profile collaborations with electronic musicians like Boys Noize. “Lay Your Cards Out” is one such perennial creation from the group’s 2012 LP Give You The Ghost. The track seems to pull from a wealth of influences with elements of trip hop and a strong thematic nod to dreampop pioneers Cocteau Twins, but a rolling drum line brings the track to an intoxicating boil around the three minute mark, fomenting a sense of urgency and tension that feels contemporary, uniquely POLIÇA.

Compuphonic‘s Mango Figaro EP made a quiet arrival earlier this month via deep house stalwart Anjunadeep. The EP’s textured, refreshing brand of deep house is exemplified here in its title track which glistens with organic warmth. The song is a narrative journey through a head space that feels intimate and introspective for producer Maxime Firket and each of the track’s intricate samples is mastered lovingly into the perfect space within this rich, airy composition.

Rounding out this week’s picks is a cut from producer Chris Stewart’s synth outlet Black Marble. Stewart’s 2012 LP A Different Arrangement drew from synthwave’s earliest progenitors, tapping into a DIY creative space and scraping together raw, visceral elements into moody, brooding affair. At a few hopeful moments in the LP, Stewart’s compositions turn bright, verging on glo-fi, but album opener “Cruel Summer” sets the dominant tone for this chillingly impassive album that some how yearns for more, better in a cold and frustratingly intractable reality.