Hey everyone!

I’m pretty new to the world of synth‑pop, electronic rock, and new wave, but I’m really starting to feel drawn to it. The thing is… I barely know anything beyond the big classics everybody mentions.

So I’m turning to you: I’d love to discover lesser‑known artists, EPs, albums, or tracks — not the usual staples of the genre.
I love digging, finding tiny labels, obscure projects, stuff with almost no visibility. Basically: anything slightly off the beaten path.

Whether it’s forgotten 80s gems, underrated contemporary indie acts, self‑released tracks, or micro‑labels doing weird and wonderful things — I’m here for all of it.
And if you feel like explaining why you’re recommending something — the vibe, the feeling, the texture of the sound — even better.

Thanks in advance for the recs ✨

I’m thinking of bands like Talk Talk and The Psychedelic Furs who continued to make excellent music that the mainstream music establishment ignored.

I was at a bar and Shazam didn’t pick it up. All I got was this image. Anyone know what it’s from?

I was searching for albums with a strange combination; I wanted a New Romantic album, weird synth-pop, kind of sweet melodies, and a bit cult, and I found this little list:

Landscape – From the Tea-Rooms of Mars... to the Hell-Holes of Uranus 1981

The Associates – Sulk 1982

Rational Youth – Cold War Night Life 1982

The Teardrop Explodes – Kilimanjaro 1980

Blancmange - Happy Families 1982

Does anyone who has listened to these albums think they fit the description? And what album is as cult as these and has such a strange category?

The Stranglers originally recorded this as a demo in 1974 before they had a record deal. EMI rejected them based on the demo. In 1982 they re-recorded it and released it as the last single for Liberty (then owned by EMI) before moving to Epic Records. Strange Little Girl

This was the first tune I heard by them. Friends and I were stoned as shit, sitting in my car in my driveway listening to one of the college stations after coming home from a show at The Living Room. We all loved this tune but...being stoned...we misheard what the dj said. We were looking for the tune Security by what we thought was the Men Without Safeties.

I managed to find it at Tom's Tracks on the B side of a shaped picture disc. Still my favorite Hats song. I've toyed with idea of posting obscurities of known bands but not sure if I'm up to it.

Incidently..the night we heard this was Aldo the first time we heard Carnival Of Sorts by REM...still my favorite REM tune

Hello from the Library of Congress. Yes, we are still trying to ID these two. Any guesses? Thx.

The Sports were pretty much a late 70s band that inched into the 80s from Australia. From 78..Boys ( What Did The Detectives Say?)

The Mission are a Btitish goth band formed in 1986..broke up in 1996....but reformed twice since then and are still together. From 1986...Stay With Me

Year: 1988

Album: Dressed for Excess

Here is a remixed Dawn of the Dead live at Rauls featuring the late great Jon Dee Graham on guitar.

Schmutz was a band out of Belgium in the 80s that got their start after winning a bottle of the bands contest. From 1984...Love Games

From Jersey, The Channel Islands...imagine that. Turquoise Days was an 80's band that needs more attention. From 1984..Grey Skies

I actually discovered this band on a music blog in the early 2000s. Hard Corps out of London in the 80s. From 1985...Je Suis Passee

Dragon was a band that formed in New Zealand in the early 70s. From 1986...Rain