violet sky | the '80s wave | 2025-03-07

1. Wild Blue - "When I Think About You" 2. Holly Knight - "Why Dont'cha Luv Me (Like You Used To)" 3. 'Til Tuesday - "Maybe Monday" 4. The Motels - "Take The L" 5. Richard Marx - "Remember Manhattan" 6. Steve Winwood - "The Finer Things" 7. Duran Duran - "My Own Way" 8. Rick Springfield - "Taxi Dancing" 9. Glenn Frey - "The One You Love" 10. Van Stephenson - "Desperate Hours" 11. Kim Wilde - "The Thrill Of It" 12. Thompson Twins - "Breakaway" 13. Linda Strick - "Yo-Yo" 14. The Fixx - "Stand Or Fall" 15. Sandy Stewart - "Leave It All Behind" 16. Quarterflash - "Valerie" 17. Mandy Smith - "I Just Can't Wait" 18. Jack Wagner - "With Your Eyes" 19. Stabilizers - "Underground" 20. Wang Chung - "Hypnotize Me" 21. Nik Kershaw - "Roses" 22. Alisha - "You've Really Gotten To Me" 23. Stacey Q - "Better Than Heaven" 24. Tiffany - "It's The Lover (Not The Love)" 25. Gino Vanelli - "Hurts To Be In Love" 26. Steve Perry - "Foolish Heart"

violet sky | the '80s wave | 2025-03-07 setlist

1. Paris By Air - "Voices In Your Head" 2. Sherry C. - "Am I The One For You" 3. Nocera - "Tell U So" 4. Sequal - "Tell Him I Called (The Master Jam)" 5. Nocera - "Play The Part" 6. Eileen Flores - "Touch Me With Your Heart" 7. Fascination - "Remember" 8. Eria Fachin - "Savin' Myself (Hot Line Remix)" 9. Irene Cara - "Breakdance" 10. Patti Austin - "It's Gonna Be Special" 11. Deborah Allen - "What's Right Tonight" 12. Evelyn "Champagne" King - "Show Me (Don't Tell Me)" 13. Spagna - "Dance Dance Dance" 14. The Monkees - "Don't Bring Me Down" 15. Atilla The Hen - "Kiss & Tell" 16. Animotion - "Room To Move" 17. Teena Marie - "Help Youngblood Get To The Freaky Party" 18. Taylor Dayne - "Heart Of Stone" 19. Shirley Jones - "Caught Me With My Guard Down"

violet sky | the '80s wave | 2025-02-20 setlist

1. Roxanne - "Boys In Black Cars" 2. Belinda Carlise - "Should I Let You In?" 3. E.G. Daily - "Little Toy" 4. Regina - "Head On" 5. Sugar Babes - "I'll Educate You (On My Love)" 6. Nancy Martinez - "Hurt Me Twice (Shame On You)" 7. Joyce Sims - "Come Into My Life" 8. Patti Austin - "Rhythm Of The Street" 9. Janet Jackson - "Pretty Boy" 10. Natalie Cole - "Jump Start" 11. The Three Degrees - "Lock It Up" 12. Ta Mara & The Seen - "Summertime Love" 13. Irene Cara - "Keep On" 14. Tone Loc - "Wild Thing" 15. The Belle Stars - "World Domination" 16. Robey - "Killer Instinct" 17. Dino - "Romeo" 18. Nu Shooz - "Secret Message" 19. The Jets - "Cross My Broken Heart" 20. Jack Wagner - "Let's Start All Over" 21. A Flock Of Seagulls - "The More You Live The More You Love" 22. Wild Blue - "Taboo" 23. Tiffany - "Kid On A Corner" 24. Howard Jones - "Like To Get To Know You Well" 25. Helen St. John - "Love Theme From Flashdance"

violet sky | the '80s wave | 2025-01-10 setlist

1. Timbuk 3 - "The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades"
2. Sheena Easton - "Days Like This"
3. Quarterflash - "Take Another Picture"
4. Fiona - "Hopelessly Love You"
5. Shy Talk - "She Was Always On Time (Not Anymore)"
6. Living In A Box - "Blow The House Down"
7. The System - "The Pleasure Seekers"
8. Jack Wagner - "Weatherman Says"
9. Jack Wagner - "Make Me Believe It"
10. Pseudo Echo - "Try"
11. Device - "I've Got No Room For Your Love
12. Spandau Ballet - "Nature Of The Beast"
13. Stevie Nicks - "No Spoken Word"
14. Sequal - "She Don't Want You"
15. Eria Fachin - "Your Love Just Came Too Late (Blaster Mix)"
16. Joy Winter - "In Time You'll See"
17. Arlene - "We Can Work It Out"
18. Shannon - "Sweet Somebody"
19. Tia - "Boy Toy"
20. Laissez Faire - "To Be In Your Arms"
21. Dino - "Romeo"
22. Nancy Martinez - "(Fire) You've Got Me On Fire"
23. Brenda K. Starr - "Pickin Up Pieces"
24. Nick Kamen - "Each Time You Break My Heart"

top 50 of 2022 | 10-1

10. Computerbandit - "Lose Control"

Computerbandit is probably my favorite currently-active synthwave band. I just love their icy production and the way that his vocalists match his energy.

9. New Constellations - "Hot Blooded"

New Constellations taps into the softer, synthpoppier side of synthwave, and they're very, very good at it. The singer's voice is like clouds!

8. MUNA - "Anything But Me"

MUNA released one of the best songs of the previous decade, so it was great to hear them release something awesome as the lead single off their follow-up this year.

7. Baby Queen - "Want Me"

This song actually came out two years ago, but broke through in 2022 thanks to its inclusion in my favorite TV series of the year: Netflix's Heartstopper.

6. Winnetka Bowling League & The Knocks - "I Like To Hide In The Bathroom At Parties"

Jona Lewie may have preferred the kitchen, but Winnetka Bowling League are opting for an even more reclusive hiding spot. Fantastically relatable lyrics in a toe-tapping little pop song.

5. The Impliers - "Stigma"

I don't know if it's entirely appropriate to call this Goth Rock, but I'm choosing to do so because it feels correct. This is just such a cool song, and it'll be on my Halloween playlists from now on!

4. Rina Sawayama - "This Hell"

Rina's been around for a couple of years, but this year was undoubtedly her breakthrough. Her sophomore album is a front-to-back delight. Every queer person on Earth will relate to these lyrics.

3. Bret McKenzie - "If You Wanna Go"

I had heard of but have never watched Flight of the Conchords, so I had no context on this fella's career when I first heard this, but I was immediately in love. Go figure, the album it's from is called Songs Without Jokes. It's just a perfect little pop song!

2. Myylo - "Being Born Kinda Sucks"

When this came out back in February, I preemptively declared it my song of the year, and I was almost correct! It's certainly another one that queer people and millennials will find especially relatable, but from a production perspective it's one of those pop rock songs à la the late '90s that you just wanna yell along to.

1. Ava Max - "Maybe You're The Problem"

I am begging -- BEGGING -- my fellow queers to start respecting this woman. She's put out nothing but floorfillers and bangers and you guys act like she doesn't exist! The album is coming in a month or two, and I better see it sail up the charts like it deserves to!

top 50 of 2022 | 20-11

20. Bananarama - "Favourite"

Hell yeah, a brand new Bananarama banger in 2022!! That bassline is absolutely filthy.

19. Khalid - "Satellite"

Most people probably know Khalid from his collab with Logic a few years ago. I had no idea he had such a nice voice and a knack for spry soft pop!

18. John Cote - "It Comes Today"

This most be the most true-to-form new wave synthpop song made since its glory era in the early 1980s. An absolute banger!

17. Whitmer Thomas - "Rigamarole"

A great little pop song about burnout and the feelings of mania, FOMO, exhaustion, and hopelessness that accompany it. This guy is apparently a comedian, but you'd certainly never know that listening to this. I love it!

16. Night Rider ft. Affiance - "Running Up That Hill"

It's very rare for me to include a cover on my year-end lists, and funny enough this is the second time a cover of this song has made it (after Meg Myers' wonderful version a couple years ago). I never realized how badly this was begging to be made into a synthwave song, and man, these guys just nailed it, even incorporating some mid-2000s hard rock stuff that should not work, but absolutely does.

15. Now Ex - "Impossible To Love"

As soon as that opening synth line hit I knew I was going to love this. The vocals are perfection for this style of music!

14. Empress Of - "Dance For You"

Definitely my favorite dance track of the year! This got a lot of reps on my runs. Solid production, excellent clean vocals.

13. Purple Disco Machine and Sophie & The Giants - "In The Dark"

Magnificent vocals over production so slick you could slide across it! Let's face it, put a clap sample in your dancepop song and I'll probably love it.

12. The Aces - "Girls Make Me Wanna Die"

I think this is the closest thing to a pure rock song on this year's list. It's still poppy as hell, and I am here for every bit of it.

11. Tove Lo - "2 Die 4"

It's honestly nothing short of amazing that Gershon Kingsley's "Popcorn" is still being sampled in pop music in 2022, but that shows you what an absolute musical genius he was. This is Tove Lo's first time making my list, but since we now all know how to pronounce her name, it felt like it was time!

top 50 of 2022 | 30-21

30. Miles Arnell - "You Had Me At Goodbye"

Okay, yeah, it's obvious he came up with this title and then wrote a song around it, but it's a good song. I love the vocal melody!

29. Mezhdunami - "Drive"

Killer synthwave with a really cool sax line that sounds like a riff on modern club music vocals.

28. The 1-800 - "This Might Be It"

How great is this band name?! It would have been such a shame if they wasted a good band name and made crappy music. Thankfully, they make very cute music, including this wonderful little new wave pop rock track!

27. Louis La Roche - "Some Way"

I discovered Louis a few years ago when he collabed with my beloved Mylo on what may be the best club song of the previous decade. This is apparently the first single from his fifth album! How prolific!

26. Low Island - "Kid Gloves"

The combination of the lead synth voice and the singer's vocal melody on this is just synthpop perfection.

25. Rosalía - "Bizcochito"

This is one of those songs that starts and you know immediately that you're about to hear something amazing. Which is fitting, because it's basically a song about how she's the shit. And I don't disagree. Check out the metric fuckton of sass with which she performs this live!

24. Sandor Gavin ft. Eileen Jaime - "City That Never Sleeps"

Sandor Gavin is a name I hadn't heard in many many years; I first (and last) heard of him in the mid 2000s when he released a cover of the Bananarama song "Cruel Summer" (which has apparently vanished from the internet). The real star of this track, though, is the absolutely gorgeous vocal performance by Eileen Jaime, who perfectly sells this synthwave.

23. Fuse - "Propeller"

A video that leans fully into synthwave aesthetics, but isn't a synthwave song -- rather it recalls some of Daft Punk's best nu-disco work.

22. Ellur - "Close To You"

A track that builds so gently and subtly that it pretty much sneaks up on you. Really great stuff!

21. Ekkstacy - "I Walk This Earth All By Myself"

Absolutely gorgeous new wave track that leans heavily into the synthpop side of the genre, and takes a turn toward the end that really sticks with you.