If you’ve somehow managed not to hear about the MASSIVE Volkswagen scandal going on right now, here’s the TL;DR (that’s too long;didn’t read, for you non-redditors): the company or the board of directors—the details are shady at this point—lied extensively about the fuel emissions of their vehicles. We’re not talking little white lies. No. We’re talking their cars would have had a 0% chance of passing ANY countries vehicle emissions tests without the software Volkswagen installed to fudge the numbers.

You might be asking yourself, “what the hell does this post have to do with music? isn’t this a music blog?” Well, leave it to Italian synthwave artist Vincenzo Salvia to give us the opportunity for a bit of social commentary on our blog. Salvia’s new EP entitled The Volkswagen of Death channels the Halloween spirit into a dazzling synthwave creation. So what do these tracks actually have to do with the Volkswagen scandal? Well…nothing, but the names are pretty funny and you have to respect Mr. Salvia for poking fun at a pretty costly blunder by one of the biggest companies in Europe.

Without further ado, let’s get down to reviewing these tracks.

The Awakening of the 1982 Golf GTD

The opening track really starts the EP off in a dark way. The gritty bass that begins the track leads to some groovy polysynth melodies that culminate in an altogether pretty well put together tune. This track really has that analog feel that a lot of synthwave producers strive for but most end up falling short of.

Dieselgate

Salvia’s definitely not shying away from getting to the heart of the controversy. Every good scandal needs a proper -gate name and I think Dieselgate is pretty fitting. This track really reminded me of the soundtrack of the original Halloween movie. Something about the synths Salvia uses just scream 80s horror to me. The drums don’t really do much for me, but they do glue the track together nicely and compliment the rhythm of the track. Where this track excels is in the synth melodies and as a lover of all things synthy (if that wasn’t a word, it is now) Dieselgate really speaks to me.

Passat Murder

The final track of the EP begins with a pretty creepy little arp melody, complimented by some luscious pads and a standard four on the floor type kick-snare pattern. Don’t let the simplicity of the first minute of this track fool you though, it really starts to shine in the latter part of the song. When that funky lead synth kicks in a little after the 1:00 mark this track evolves into a groovy retrosynth funk masterpiece. Passat Murder is definitely my favorite track on the EP.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Vincenzo Salvia’s new The Volkswagen of Death is another great release from an ultra-talented producer. Pick it up on Bandcamp and tell your friends.

Original article here