Arcade High’s début album

Arcade High

Pittsburgh based SynthWave artist Arcade High’s music is a cross between the kinda of SynthWave we are used to, influenced my ‘80’s TV and Movie themes, and the adrenaline chaos of video game arcades a couple of decades ago. Prepare for sweet lead lines with a ChipTune edge with his début album The Art Of Youth.

Appropriately the into track is called ‘Inset Coin’ and after a selection of 8-bit sounds we are dropped into the first song proper, Miami Nights. It’s in this track that you start to get a feel for Arcade high. Rich retro synths build thick, nostalgic sound full of synth flourishes and uplifting progressions. There’s something thoughtful and pensive about Arcade High’s music, despite his neon flashing muse. The albums highlights, for us, were 1987, a deep boogie of a cop show theme tune with a video game lead line amidst the shimmering synths. Electric City is digital bassline gold, growling like an angry Italo beast and providing a core for the Disco-esque lead line to play around it’s space. The surprise track of the record was Crush, the albums only vocal track that enlists the voice of Maddie Ardillo and delivers a catchy Italo slow-jam with a ‘90’s Indie overtone. The whole eleven tracks of The Art Of Youth are worthy of your attention, a strong début for Arcade High. Did we mention it was free?

♫ Arcade High – Miami Nights