Bigger names and stronger opinions, and no algorithm. Issue #3 of the independent synth pop print magazine has 108 pages for fans of synth pop, dark wave, EBM and future pop. Inside are eight album reviews, seven in-depth interviews, the new Artist Spotlight section and a scene debate that has been overdue for a long time.
Cover story: Priest
Priest: Altered State Police
(Blue Nine) is reviewed track by track with a score of 4.33 stars and wins the Electrozombies award for Best Album. It takes in synth pop, electro pop and big beat, with echoes of VNV Nation, Depeche Mode and The Prodigy. In the interview, Mercury talks about writing on piano instead of guitar, cyberpunk dystopia becoming reality, and why time is his biggest motivator.
Track-by-track album reviews
- Soft Cell: Danceteria
A love letter to early-80s New York club culture - Mesh: Fallen Angel
The epilogue to The Truth Doesn’t Matter, and whether the expanded edition is worth buying - Tania Cassette: The Death Of Me
plus an interview with the San Diego dark pop artist - Brighter Than A Thousand Suns: Private Faces
plus an interview about their journey from the metalcore mosh pit to the synthwave revolution - Bunny X: Love On A High Floor
(Aztec Records). Glossy “officewave” from New York
Quick reviews
- DEKAD: A Distorted View
(Boredom Product). French electro pop after four years away - Parallel Suns: Parallel Suns
The cinematic debut from the Chilean duo
Special: Uniforms, eagles and generals on vocals
Why silence is no longer an option for Electrozombies. The article is a pointed piece on militaristic aesthetics, “Imperial Industrial” and the shift to the right in the dark scene. It also covers the end of androgyny, Karl Popper’s paradox of tolerance, and the question of where the “wave” has gone.
Exclusive interviews
- Priest (Mercury):
the new album, surveillance, and the state of society - Noemi Aurora:
the former co-founder of Helalyn Flowers on her solo album Kintsugi, alchemy and self-destruction - Tania Cassette:
her Latin rock DNA, passion that consumes, and The Death Of Me - Brighter Than A Thousand Suns:
retro production, the synths they use and dream collaborations - Bunny X (Abigail Gordon and Jenny Bates):
the new line-up, the “Risky Business” salon nights in New York, and life between glass towers
New: Artist Spotlight
Short, concise portraits of artists to watch. In this issue:
Elektroterapi
(Julia Lunar, Moscow), whose work moves between synthwave, dark pop and darkwave in Russian, German and English; and
Melody Zenith
from Saint Paul, Minnesota, who makes gothic pop with glamour and a macabre love of classic cinema.
GEWC charts Q3 2026
The quarterly German Electronic WebCharts, with the Top 15 albums and Top 15 singles. Number one album: Beyond Obsession, In My Blood. Number one single: Ultra Sunn, Distress (First Take).
Best Synth Pop Songs Q3 2026
Hand-picked new tracks from the Electrozombies Discover section, each with a Spotify code to scan. Featuring When In Rome, j:dead, Agnis (an IAMX cover), Omar Doom, Vioflesh, Clawfoot, Maenia, Shadow Park, Blone Noble, Digital Drvgs, Doubtful Hope, Holy Death Temple, Silberwolf 66, Detalji, Hermidgets and Graveyard Gossip.
The Source Code: albums that shaped the scene makers
- Caitlin Stokes (Corlyx):
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Joy Division, The Sundays, Nine Inch Nails and Erik Satie - DJ Max Maus (Communion After Dark):
The Cure, Project Pitchfork, Apoptygma Berzerk, Melotron and Drab Majesty
Also inside
- Editorial: “The (Anti) Social Media: Why the algorithm thinks I’m a gay loser”
- A new writer on the team: Jan Blackwell, a gig photographer and reviewer from the UK
- QR codes for the official music videos, and Spotify codes for every featured track
