To many, the name Skyracer will be a new one, although for those with a love of nostalgia-fueled synthwave rock music, this Sheffield duo has been making massive waves in the retro scene. Which led me to order the duo’s album on the only physical release available on cassette.
Having a glance at their Bandcamp intro – SKYRACER is the sound of long-lost summers, glowing skies, and the bittersweet blur of growing up. Formed in Sheffield by two lifelong friends who hang, cook, write, and record every week, SKYRACER blends 90s pop-punk energy with nostalgic synth textures, cinematic storytelling, and the emotion of a midnight voicemail you never sent – screams everything you need to know about them.
The music comes from a place that is equal parts Busted alongside Funeral For A Friend, with some Saving Aimee thrown in for good measure. While never being anything new, the enthusiasm bursts through in the music’s feel-good nature.
Kicking things off with an Intro that is so wonderful and a call back to a better and easier time, that was a childhood that feels like a lifetime ago. This leads straight into the next monster single, ‘I Just Wanna Know’, which hints at a more hard rock-leaning hook but is a surefire hit if only it were released with a nostalgic-fueled promo.
This is followed by the debut single ‘Howling’, which, having lived with this song for a while, leads me to believe that this duo have struck gold on their first outing. So much so that since it was released back in May 2025, it hasn’t left my Bandcamp playlist.
Side A – is basically the first bunch of singles that the duo released over the last couple of months. These include: ‘Los Alamos’, ‘Under The Lights’, and ‘We’ve Been Alive’. Side B, on the other hand, is absolute gold – starting off with the unbelievable duet with House of Serpents/Jan, the amazing ‘Drenched in Blood’ – which has already been released and is no doubt a precursor to only more greatness from all the artists involved.
‘Champion’ Edition is up next and is one of the best singles I’ve heard recently. Basically, this album is the synthwave equivalent of local heroes Def Leppard’s Hysteria in that all of the songs are potential singles. Just check out the album closing duo of ‘Hung The Moon’ and ‘Last Token’. No closing songs of an album have the right to be this good. All 11 songs on SKYRACER V1.0 are proof of the old and overused adage – all killer, no filler.
The duo are also fresh from a couple of opening slots on the recent LeBrock 10-year anniversary tour, and if anything, I hope we will all be there to see a decade anniversary tour of SKYRACER! Yes, those retro boys from Sheffield have done a great job! Now it’s my turn to have a go at the old Nintendo Game Boy.
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Author: Dave Prince
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