Sounds like…

A retrowave Metroidvania soundtrack taking place in space.

The review

Often Lukhash bangs out super catchy anthems in the synthwave and retrowave genres of music. Having become something of a Bandcamp sensation, ‘We Are Stardust’ is possibly the most complex body of work Lukhash has made to date. Equal parts synthwave space opera and retrowave anthems but always throwing other things into the mix in the background, the album is a wheel of ideas turning in eternity.

Take for instance ‘Coin Op Hero’. You have elements of chiptune music bleeping around the place, the overall vibe is a synthwave track but the grizzly bass and guitar noises evoke a darkwave gurgle underneath. ‘Final Boss’ switches the same genres around in their parameters. Instead, the chiptune element is moved to the bass whilst the synthwave becomes the main melody under a sea of rave influences. Elsewhere opening track ‘Cyberiad Theory’ has epic electric guitar solos between chunky retro synths. This track feels like vaporwave on steroids. These are just some simple examples of how LukHash keeps mixing and matching genres all day long.

And it works. It works so very well. The entire album has a tape warp space odyssey vibe to it. Be that ‘Code Veronica’ reminding me of the old Space Harrier theme song or ‘Dying Breath’ which evokes Suzanne Sundfor’s ’10 Love Songs’ album. The beats keep flying, the guitars and synths swap out their epic solos and melodies and everything feels cyberpunked. There isn’t a weak track and the album flows really well as a whole collection too.

Whilst it may be a shame only having one vocal piece, the synths and melodies more than make up for it. Lukhash has perfected the synthwave formula but what I really appreciated is that he continues to try new variants. It feels different and less jugular than some of his previous work but still very much Lukhash. That is what I think most people would have wanted. I certainly can think of few other Cyberpunk/Synthwave hybrid albums I’d want with me in space.

Recommended track: Code Veronica

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