Exclusive Premiere: Synth pop act New Romantics shares “Low Stakes”

Photo Credit: H.N. James / Punk Rock Photography

Knoxville-based synth pop act New Romantics shares their new single “Low Stakes” exclusively on soundvsystem and announces their new album NO LIFE.

Today synth pop/new wave act New Romantics announced their sophomore album NO LIFE and has shared its first single “Low Stakes.” New Romantics is the solo project of Knoxville-based songwriter and producer Brandon Biondo, whose work we’ve covered before.

The new single “Low Stakes" is based on a demo created over a decade ago. Biondo found it, re-recorded and transformed it into what it is today. At the introduction, a “nod to Black Sabbath’s ‘Mr. Crowley’” says Biondo, the song plays with intensity, ping-ponging between mystery and clarity. When the kick drums roll in, it’s game over.

“I probably spent more time dialing in the portamento on the lead than I did recording the rest of the parts to it,” he says. “It was added after I had recorded the rest of the song because I thought the cold opening was missing something.”

It leans into more of an industrial sound. The instrumentation is heavy, contrasting Biondo’s voice in the verses. Its sonic weight is a direct result of the combination of synths including a Korg MS20, Sequential Prophet-6, OB6, and an Oberheim DPX-1. The bells, courtesy of a Wavestation layered with an M1, are jagged, cutting into the music and creating a rhythm of their own.

“The bell lead, and what I call the ‘Thunder Synth’ from the DPX-1, are the defining sounds on the album,” he says. “The DPX-1 was a sampler I got in a Craigslist trade years ago. It came with a case full of floppy disks from the original owner in the 80’s. I’m not sure if the Thunder Synth is a Prophet-5, a Jupiter or a Moog, because the disk I found them on had all three on the label. Shoutout to Mel Simpson, who was the creator of the sound.”

The song is Biondo’s deeply personal take on addiction. “I’d been going through my own struggles with addiction,” he shares. “I've been through it with a lot of people close to me and this song is about the push / pull, lies and promises people make in the throes of it. I think as much as I try to view myself as different as a lot of the people in my life who’ve crossed me in that way, I’m just as guilty.”

“Low Stakes” is an introspective examination of regret and coming to terms with one’s own reflection. Moreso, it’s an exercise in finding harmony between darkness and truth. Striking that balance is not easy, but the results are magic. In “Low Stakes,” the magic lives within the synth pop haze.

Listen to “Low Stakes” below and pre-order the album NO LIFE on “Loveless” Pink vinyl now. The album is officially out on December 13, 2025 via Gezellig Records.

Follow New Romantics on Instagram. You can find Gezellig Records there too.

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