The Top 10 Vaporwave Albums of 2020

 

Hey everyone! I apologise if this list took a while, but I wanted to go back to a bunch of albums to make sure I didn't miss any good ones. It took a while, but I think I've finally decided what I want on this list. So without further adieu, here is the top 10 vaporwave albums... of 2020.

Oh yeah, and if I'm talking about an album I've already reviewed, I'll add a link to the review so you can read my thoughts in-depth.

10. Fragance 甘い by COMPLΣX MATHΣMATICS

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi

Kicking off the list we have Fragrance 甘い, which is a well-made and groovy late night lo-fi album. This release will make you feel like you're staying up late watching old VHS tapes, with great, retro sample choices and jarring static that fills the silence. It's a vivid and nocturnal record that I highly recommend.

Lots of great tracks on this thing, like "Daybreak", "After hours", "▀▄▀▄▀▄ ρⓘᶰ𝐤 ▄▀▄▀▄▀" and so many more. Fragrance 甘い is a great release that executes the late night lo-fi style phenomenally.

Favourite Track: After hours

9. HANDZ by HATENA

Full Review Here

Subgenres: Future Funk, VHS Pop

At the #9 spot we have the release "HANDZ" from future funk producer HATENA. This album is like nothing I've ever heard in the future funk scene - it's hectic and abrasive from front to back. Samples get spinned around and turned inside out with some of the most creative sample flips I've heard this year. On the tracklist is also "NOTFAIR" which ended up being my favourite vaporwave song this year because it's just... really good.

It's not a perfect album and there's a lot of room for improvement I still really enjoy this release - definitely go give it a listen, and maybe pick up a tape!

Favourite track: NOTFAIR

8. Land Of The Lost by Hallmark '87

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi, Signalwave, Ambient

This album will transport you to a seemingly never-ending midnight drive through the desert - your car radio's reception keeps getting out of range, and you're looking for some kind of landmark, like a bus stop, or a hotel - ANYTHING before the inevitable sunrise.

This release is an extremely striking and beautiful late night lo-fi album, but influences of signalwave and ambient vaporwave get thrown into the mix too, to make an album that's truly one-of-a-kind. From catchy and danceable bangers like "Amplitude" to experimental and anxious songs like "Out of Time Pt. I" and "Scanning", there's a lot to love here, and it's a journey that I'll never forget. Super happy to have picked this one up on cassette, as well.

Favourite track: Freeway Funk

7. Swim Radio 游泳音機 by FalseGarden螳

Subgenres: VHS Pop, Ambient

Coming in at #7 is "Swim Radio 游泳音機" which is an extremely fun, luxurious, and underrated vaporwave album. This one will make you feel like you're in a massive late-90s water park, with the songs here simultaneously sounding aquatic and whimsical. It's also very consistent, with hardly any boring moments throughout the album's 18 minute runtime. From fun and danceable tracks like "Pool Cool 池酷" to tracks like "Snorkel City Sale 呼吸管市特賣" which sounds like something out of an old Pokémon game.

There's also the ambient closer here, "So Long 拜拜" which is a definite personal favourite of mine off of the tracklist. It's one of the most beautiful and nostalgic vaporwave songs I've heard in a very long time, with gorgeous chords and and distant waves, crashing in the background.

It's a great album, give it a listen.

Favourite track: So Long 拜拜

6. Liteware by FM Skyline

Subgenres: Hypnagogic

Landing at #6 is the new FM Skyline album "Liteware" - this album sounds exactly how the cover looks. This release is shiny, nostalgic and otherworldly at points too.

The instrumentation on this album is phenomenal, with the first song "paradise neon" being a great example of that. Gorgeous flutes and pretty synths make for an amazing listening experience. 

There's also the penultimate track here, "shadows" which is another personal favourite. This song feels like you're getting ready to fight the final boss in a videogame, with an 8-bit synth in the background and an ominous tone. There's a lot to love on this thing, my favourite tracks have to be "paradise neon", "glass beaches", "crystal river", "polygon park", and "shadows". Great album, I highly recommend it if you're into a more hypnagogic, almost synthwave-y style of vaporwave.

Favourite track: paradise neon

5. STREET SMARTS by VHS LOGOS

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi, VHS Pop

Coming in at #5 is "STREET SMARTS", from fan favourite late night lo-fi artist VHS LOGOS - I know I'm kiiiiind of cheating here because a lot of the songs on this album came from BEFORE 2020, but it was released this year as a compilation and the quality of everything here is just too good to pass up, honestly.

This album is a compilation of non-album singles and pretty much all of them are extremely high quality. From hazy and fuzzy late night lo-fi tracks like "SONY" to upbeat bangers like "SAVAGE 1997" which makes me feel like I'm at a rave in the late 90s or something. There's a lot of variety here and I think whatever kind of vaporwave you're into, you'll definitely find something to enjoy here.

Highly recommend this one - lots of variety, this is one I've really been enjoying as of late.

Favourite track: L'ESPRIT or SAVAGE 1997

4. THE SAILOR SUPERNOVA by star printer

Subgenres: Future Funk

Halfway through the list, we have "THE SAILOR SUPERNOVA" which is easily my favourite future funk project this year. A phenomenal future funk album filled with tributes to 80s-90s anime from Pokémon, to AKIRA, and of course, Sailor Moon.

Some of the best production I've heard this year for sure - the beats here are filled with so much personality - amazing sample choices, and "I DON'T EVEN WATCH SAILOR MOON 概論" has gotta be my favourite song title of 2020.

Tracks like "KING KAI 猿", "SHOWTIME アキラ", "BOYFRIEND 彼を殴る", and "CHIA チアシード" have gone done as some of my favourite songs this year with just how well-made and unique they are. Great album, give it a listen whether you're a future funk fan or not. There's also a few videos over there with Sailor Moon visuals so that's pretty neat!

Favourite track: SHOWTIME アキラ

3. St. Vincent's Tiger in Paradise by jankyswans

Subgenres: "Chipwave", Late Night Lo-Fi, Hypnagogic

Next up on the list we have "St. Vincent's Tiger in Paradise", the newest full-length from jankyswans. I could see there being some debate over whether this one is vaporwave or not but personally, I'd class it as vaporwave, despite the production style not really fitting into ANY subgenre, in fact this could easily be its own thing - CHIPWAVE. Chiptune songs mixed with the usual vaporwave feeling. It's a work in progress but the album's good so whatever. I'll also class it as "late night lo-fi" because the album has that kind of vibe anyway.

This is easily jankyswans' best release yet. The tracks here feel adventurous, grand and expansive - with some of the best production and melodies jankyswans has ever released.

Lots of amazing songs here, such as "casting", "ɠꙆɩ⳽ᥒɩᥲᥒ", "Ɩҽɑѵҽs ƒɑƖƖ" (I actually did a remix of that one), and "fᥣᥙttᥱrιᥒg", just to name a few.

My favourite song here is definitely "𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝒹𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝑒", this one is absolutely gorgeous, with glistening synths and lovely chords too.

So yeah, absolutely loving this thing right now - I think it's more than deserving of a place on the list. It's also on tape which HASN'T sold out yet, so maybe pick one up if this sounds interesting to you.

Favourite track: 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝒹𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝑒

2. SEE U TOMORROW by EPSON and CHANNEL SELECT

Full Review Here

Subgenres: VHS Pop, Late Night Lo-Fi

At #2 is "SEE U TOMORROW", the newest release from VHS Pop artists EPSON and CHANNEL SELECT. The sequel to their phenomenal 2018 split album "SAW U LAST NITE", "SEE U TOMORROW" is a fantastic album that pretty much fully lives up to the expectations set by the original.

The songs on this album are fun, they're chirpy, and they're unique. Tracks like "DRIVE WAY", "COMEONHOME", "CORNER", "ECCOFORCE", "PAINTED", and so many more have gone on to be some of my favourite songs to come out this year - this is easily the most passionate and well-made VHS Pop album to come out this year.

Favourite song off of this one has to be "WHY", which is the album's closer. It's pretty long for a VHS Pop track, at about 6 minutes - but it never gets boring in the slightest and it's such a magical song. I wrote a full review on this one, so I'll be brief - but this is an amazing release and definitely deserves its place on the list. Great album.

Favourite track: WHY

1. Elements by Aexion

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi, Ambient, VHS Pop, Future Funk

Elements is an album that's consistently blown me away since the day I first heard it. This project is is phenomenal, pretty much from front to back and so many of the songs here have really stuck with me - this release has an INSANE amount of variety in terms of style, from gorgeous ambient tracks ("Escape" and "Shadow"), to signalwave ("Corridor Plaza"), lo-fi hiphop ("Azzura's Dream"), and even a future funk closing track ("Thing About Me"). No matter what style Aexion goes for on this release, it pretty much always goes spectacularly. Pretty much every song is catchy, woozy, confident, and most importantly, well-made. This is an album that I think everyone should listen to... and that's why it's my favourite vaporwave release of 2020. Pretty bummed out I never got to review this one, too.

Favourite track: Either Shadow, Kuadran 1, or Thing About Me

So that was my list of the best vaporwave albums this year - what were your favourites? Feel free to let me know. I'll see you all in 2021. Have a nice day! :)

-Synthi