Cold Wave

Cold wave is a musical genre emerging from the late 1970s and early 1980s, characterized by its use of analog synthesizers and a minimalist, yet atmospheric approach to sound. It often combines the stark, detached aesthetics of post-punk with the synthesized textures of early electronic music, resulting in a sound that is both haunting and melodic. The genre's themes tend to explore emotive landscapes, often focusing on isolation, technology, and introspection, creating a somewhat dystopian ambiance. Artists like John Foxx and Blaine L. Reininger have paved the way with their innovative use of synths and ethereal vocals, influencing a new wave of artists who continue to evolve the genre while retaining its emotive core.

Latest Cold Wave Release
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Delusion
Album - 10 Tracks - Released April 24, 2026

RecentMusic users are tracking 935 Cold Wave artists for new releases, and have access to the full timeline of 10,467 releases

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32 Ohm
A Place To Bury Strangers
ADULT.
Affet Robot
Amiture
And Also The Trees
Antiflvx
Antipole
Ash Code
Autumns
Biały Falochron
Bragolin
Buerak
Buzz Kull
Carlos Giffoni
Crying Vessel
Curses
DAVID GALAS
DECEITS
Dancing Plague
Daniel Lah
De Ambassade
Death Cult
Ductape
Eddie Dark
Eirene
Faerybabyy
Fevr
Fields Of The Nephilim
Fluid Ghost
Fotocrime
Franio Mucha
Grizz
Group Rhoda
Hangwire
House of Harm
IST IST
Indie Anthony
Kana Kana
Kill Shelter
Kurara
Las eras
Linear Movement
Love Is Colder Than Death
Male Tears
Mica
Monochromatic Visions
NOANGELSS
Night Ritualz
Nürnberg
Obskuros
Paper Foxes
Paradox Obscur
Paris Alexander
Pekinska patka
Ploho
Plus Instruments
Prayers
Pure Obsessions & Red Nights
Qual
R. Missing
Robert Görl
Ruth
S Y Z Y G Y X
SDH (Semiotics Department of Heteronyms)
SOFT VEIN
Scary Black
She Past Away
Small Depo
Soft Kill
Spookystack
Sydney Valette
TRAITRS
Tempers
The Beauty of Gemina
The Discussion
The KVB
The Last Sound Revelation
The Masqs
The Secret French Postcards
The Sound
The Spoiled
The Underground Youth
The Violent Youth
The ghost cabaret
Theo Vandenhoff
Twin Noir
Twin Tribes
ULTRA SUNN
Vandal Moon
Veil of Light
Vestron Vulture
Whitney Tai
Yan Wagner
altan
headwinds
scott crow
shelovesmolly
Петров и Октябрь
Стереополина
Molchat Doma
Mareux
Joy Division
Kino
Sisters of Mercy
Twin Tribes
Boy Harsher
Electroforez
She Past Away
Vestron Vulture
TRAITRS
Motorama
Bragolin
Solo Ansamblis
ULTRA SUNN
Дурной Вкус
Labyrinth Ear
Clan of Xymox
Buerak
Black Marble
The Sound
Las eras
Nürnberg
R. Missing
The Fall
Front 242
Faerybabyy
Ploho
Увула
KOMPROMAT
DECEITS
Prayers
IST IST
Fields Of The Nephilim
The KVB
Tempers
Mica
Pink Turns Blue
Soviet Soviet
Soft Kill
DAF
Lust For Youth
VVV [Trippin'you]
Rosegarden Funeral Party
corn wave
Diary Of Dreams
Matte Blvck
Selofan
Kirlian Camera
Buzz Kull
The Masqs
The Spoiled
ACTORS
Home Front
Antipole
Qual
Cabaret Nocturne
Yan Wagner
Ductape
House of Harm
Paradox Obscur
Darkways
Night in Athens
De Ambassade
Shortparis
Vive La Fête
Augustus Muller
Obskuros
Choir Boy
Preoccupations
A Place To Bury Strangers
Curses
Dark Chisme
Leonora Post Punk
Kælan Mikla
Vandal Moon
John Foxx
Ash Code
Male Tears
Fevr
La Bande-Son Imaginaire
Martin Dupont
The Awakening
Horror Vacui
Jovens Ateus
Plastique Noir
Silent Runners
Siekiera
VOWWS
Lycia
Indie Anthony
Sydney Valette
SDH (Semiotics Department of Heteronyms)
16Volt
Armia
Diaframma
O. Children
VoX LoW
Vacíos Cuerpos
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