Year: 2024
Label: Napalm Records

Fans of German alternative, dark and gothic tinged rock might be familiar with a band called Lord Of The Lost. I, not being a particular fan of such music, am not. But even so, Chris Harms is the singer and frontman of said German act who, I gather, are quite popular in their home country.

Not being familiar with the man’s main act might seem like a bad starting point to write about his debut solo album. However, as you will soon see, that’s not at all the case. If ever there was a case of a solo album standing well and truly apart from and independent of the “parent group”, this is it.

One look at the album’s cover artwork and title will point you in the right direction. Yes indeed, this is a glorious trip of musical nostalgia back to the neon bathed decade of the 80’s. From the aesthetics to the music, this is an unabashed an unashamed piece of nostalgia.

So, synthpop is the name of the game. Germany has, as some of you might know, a strong tradition in the genre: Modern Talking, Camouflage, Sandra and Alphaville number among their most prominent proponents of the genre. And it is just the German brand of this ultimate 80’s genre that Harms channels in his music.

This means the whole nine yards of classic synthpop. Arpeggiated bass lines, epic synth brass melodies, lush synth pads, infectiously catchy choruses, punchy gated snares. Simple melodies bordering on the naive. If the above acts tickle your fancy, then in every likelihood so will this.

Because that most important ingredient is to be found in abundance here: quality. 1980 is packed with anthemic songs, memorable choruses and that neon energy of faux 80’s nostalgia. Harms handles his vocal duties laudably. His baritone has charisma and emotion. The latter is perfectly exemplified in album closer May This Be Your Last Battlefield. In this haunting, tragic ballad he takes his voice to its extremes, and beyond: here and there it breaks, only adding to the dramatic effect of the song.

First single and album opener I Love You perfectly embodies everything the album is about: lush 80’s sounds and melodies, and a chorus to die for; combined with a sense of melancholy and sadness at odds with the naivete of yer generic 80’s synthpop. Kicking in with a popping drum intro, second track She Called Me Diaval cements the mood: preppy, energetic, pumping, but with just a hint of a darker twist to it. This is the very nature of 1980; classic synthpop sounds and aesthetics, but with just a hint of goth rock darkness.

Soundwise, the bright and powerful production is more reminiscent of modern synthwave than authentic 80’s synthpop. In the same way, 1980 takes the aesthetic framework and upgrades it to modern production sensibilities. This means fuller, crisper and punchier sound, as opposed to authentic recordings from the era, which are ever so often prone to sound a bit muddy and cheap. Like synthwave, this is nostalgia for the 1980’s as the decade never was, an audial tribute to a romanticized and idealized version of the decade. One with more lasers and less drab fake wood panels.

And I love it. Synthpop is one of my favourite musical genres, so I am a bit prejudiced. But I also set my standards high. And boy does 1980 reach them and then some. It’s an album packed with impressive tracks that take the classic 80’s style and update it gloriously for the 2020’s.

The version I’m reviewing is the limited two disc edition, which features on the second disc instrumental versions of all album tracks plus two alternate versions. As fun as the second disc is, it doesn’t bring much added value to the package – so unless you’re absolutely fanatic about Chris Harms, save a penny and go for the single disc version.

But make sure not to miss out on this if you’re a fan of 80’s synthpop. Because, honestly, this is the best classic synthpop I’ve heard since Alphaville’s 2010 album Catching Rays On Giant. This one will definitely feature prominently on my “best of 2025” list.

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