Synthwave is music and art built from a memory of the 1980s, though not always an accurate one. It takes the sound of 80s film soundtracks and the look of 80s video games, album covers and VHS boxes, and turns them into something warmer and more dreamlike than the real decade ever was. Think neon sunsets over wireframe grids, chrome lettering and a car driving towards a horizon that never gets closer. Here is what synthwave is, where it came from, and how to use synthwave art at home.
Synthwave the music
Synthwave grew in the mid to late 2000s, when producers began making new music with the analogue-style synthesisers, drum machines and gated drums of 1980s soundtracks. It is sometimes called retrowave or outrun. The genre reached a wider audience after the film Drive (2011) used Kavinsky's "Nightcall" in its opening, and it has since become a staple of game soundtracks, streams and late-night playlists. It is sincere rather than ironic: synthwave loves the 80s.
There are several flavours. Some synthwave is bright and driving, made for fast cars and neon roads. Darker strands borrow from horror film scores and heavier electronic music. Slower, dreamier tracks overlap with chillwave and lo-fi.
The synthwave aesthetic
- The sunset. A huge striped sun sinking into the horizon, usually orange, pink and magenta.
- The grid. A glowing wireframe floor running to the horizon, borrowed from early computer graphics.
- Mountains and palm trees. Wireframe or silhouetted against the sky.
- Chrome and gloss. Shiny lettering, sports cars and reflective surfaces.
- A night palette. Deep purple, navy and black lit by hot pink, cyan and orange.
- Scan lines and VHS grain. The texture of old screens and tapes.
The name outrun comes from the 1986 arcade racing game OutRun, and driving imagery, empty roads, sports cars and coastal highways, is a big part of the style.
80s synthwave vs modern synthwave
There was no genre called synthwave in the 1980s. What existed was synth-heavy film and TV music, Italo disco and early electronic pop. Modern synthwave is a tribute to that sound, cleaned up and given more atmosphere. The same is true of the art: 1980s graphics were often rough, but synthwave art makes them polished and cinematic. That is why it can feel nostalgic even to people who were born long after the 80s.
Where you see synthwave today
- Games: racing, shooter and arcade games use the grid, neon and soundtrack.
- Streams and playlists: late-night synthwave radio streams with looping animated cities.
- Film and TV posters: any story set in or inspired by the 80s.
- Interiors: gaming rooms and desk setups with magenta and cyan lighting.
Synthwave vs vaporwave
Synthwave is warm, nostalgic and sincere, rooted in the 80s. Vaporwave is pastel, ironic and rooted in the 90s internet and shopping malls. Read what is vaporwave for the other half of the story, or vaporwave vs synthwave vs outrun for a side-by-side comparison.
Synthwave art at home
- Use the colours, not just the motifs. Our synthwave colour palettes with hex codes help you match lighting and accessories to the art.
- Build a setup around one piece. A synthwave desk mat and one poster above the monitor are enough to set the theme.
- Add coloured light. A magenta or cyan LED strip behind the desk ties the art to the room. See how to light wall art with LED strips.
- Keep the furniture dark. Black and charcoal make neon colours glow.
- Retro objects, in moderation. One cassette player or old console on a shelf adds to the theme; ten turns it into a museum.
Synthwave in a bedroom
Synthwave works in a bedroom if you keep the brightest colour off the wall you face from the pillow and put the lights on a dimmer. A sunset or grid piece above the bed and warm, low lighting give the feel without keeping you awake. Our post on bedroom wall art that lets you wind down has more.
For more on retro animal designs, see our closer look at CRT Lion Retro Wave. You can find synthwave designs as canvas, posters, framed posters, tapestries and desk mats in the Artist Shop.