Ottawa's Retrospects waste no time following their debut with "Vaporwaves", another twelve-song blast of ridiculously catchy synth-driven new wave and power pop. At the centre is once again Ian Manhire of The White Wires and The Sedatives, and his instinct for an immediate pop hook hasn't disappeared beneath all those keyboards.

If the first album introduced the formula, "Vaporwaves" pushes it gleefully over the top: analogue synths, Oberheims, drum machines, infectious harmonies and bright '80s sounds wrapped around songwriting that owes just as much to the power pop explosion of 1979. It's electronic without losing its punk heart - colourful, slightly weird and built for dancing rather than staring at your shoes.

Recorded once again in the band's Canadian church hideaway, "Vaporwaves" sounds like vintage synth-pop, punk and forgotten '80s TV jingles somehow occupying the same universe. Beneath all the electronic wizardry, though, it's those damn catchy songs that make the whole thing work.

Originally released in early 2026 in just 100 copies on the band's own Vintage Voltage label, now reissued by Alien Snatch! with adapted Ken J. Maxx artwork.

Mixed "Planeteria" colour vinyl, limited to 472 copies.