Neon Neon sounds like the idealized, cinematic version of the 1980s, filtered through the restless creativity of modern indie-electronic pioneers. It is music that feels both expensive and intimate, combining the warmth of vintage synthesizers with crisp, modern production. The melodies are infectious and shimmering, but there is always a layer of sophisticated melancholy beneath the surface, as if the songs are mourning the very eras they emulate.
What truly sets them apart is their commitment to narrative. Rather than writing generic pop songs, they craft detailed biographical sketches of historical figures, turning the lives of car moguls and radical publishers into danceable art-pop. The contrast between Gruff Rhys's soft, earnest Welsh vocals and Boom Bip's sharp, rhythmic electronic architecture creates a unique tension that is both cerebral and deeply groovy.
Start with the album Stainless Style. It is a perfect entry point that captures their obsession with 80s excess and sleek design, specifically through the lens of John DeLorean's life. It is the kind of record that makes a mundane commute feel like a scene from a high-budget period piece.
Neon Neon is a collaborative project from producer Boom Bip and Gruff Rhys, the frontman for the Welsh rock band Super Furry Animals. They began work on the project in October 2006 originally under the moniker Delorean. In March 2008 the duo, by now calling themselves Neon Neon, released a full-length album entitled Stainless Style to generally positive reviews and earned a nomination for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize. Gruff Rhys cast doubt over the future of Neon Neon in a 2008 interview for the BBC: "I don't know about making another Neon Neon album because it was quite a specific record about [John] DeLorean's life story. If we did something in the future it would have to be something different. But it's nice that it did well and we get to play it live." Neon Neon remixed Oasis's song "To Be Where There's Life" from their Dig Out Your Soul album for inclusion as the B-side of Oasis's single, "I'm Outta Time." However, it was only released on the vinyl copy of the single. In December 2011, Neon Neon announced the release of a new song from their Stainless Style sessions. The song "Wheels" was released as part of the Complex compilation, which celebrated the 10th anniversary of Lex Records. An NME article announcing the release of the song suggested that Neon Neon were to return to the studio in 2012 to record a second album. On 30 April 2013, the group released their second album, Praxis Makes Perfect, focusing on the life of Italian left-wing publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.
Shares synth-pop, new wave, indie pop (subgenres); analog warmth, studio polished, layered dense (production style)
Shares analog warmth, studio polished, layered dense (production style); synth-pop, indie pop, electropop (subgenres)
Shares electropop, synth-pop, art pop (subgenres); nostalgic, playful, wistful (moods)
Shares synth-pop, electropop, indie pop (subgenres); breathy, deadpan, gentle (vocal style)
Shares synth-pop, electropop, indie pop (subgenres); analog warmth, studio polished, layered dense (production style)
Shares synth-pop, electropop, indie pop (subgenres); keys/synth, drum machine, electric guitar (instrumentation)
Shares synth-pop, electropop, indie pop (subgenres); analog warmth, studio polished, drum machine (production style)
Shares synth-pop, electropop, indie pop (subgenres); keys/synth, drum machine, electric guitar (instrumentation)
Shares synth-pop, electropop, indie pop (subgenres); studio polished, layered dense, drum machine (production style)
Shares electropop, synth-pop, indie pop (subgenres); deadpan, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares new wave, electropop, analog warmth, dusk (subgenre)
Shares art pop, new wave, electropop, synth-pop (signature)
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