Thank you so much for the detailed comment and the compliments on the production! You brought up a really interesting point about what Synthwave actually is.

To me, that's exactly the core of it: a 2000s genre that brings back 80s nostalgia, but it branches out a lot. I believe many artists like Miami Nights 1984 and Gunship focus heavily on being completely faithful to the original synths, pop rhythms, and those classic mixing/mastering characteristics. My inspiration, however, takes a slightly different route. My biggest influence is The Midnight (and also Timecop1983), bringing Synthwave into a more contemporary space.

My main goal is to capture that feeling and vibe from the classic synths, drum grooves, and specific melodic structures, and blend it into something modern—almost like ambient electronic music in certain cases. It's a modern style, but quite different from what you'd hear from artists like VOJ, Narvent, etc. Even though I love all those styles and still plan to work more with Synthpop or Chillwave, right now I'm really focused on refining this specific sound.

I'm super happy you noticed the mix! My mixing quality has improved a lot recently thanks to a ton of studying. 'Sentinel' is the beginning of that, but it's definitely not the absolute peak of where my mixes are at right now.

As for the track needing more variation: you are totally right! Originally, this track was supposed to have vocals. With vocals, I would have built a much better dynamic structure rather than just 'Intro, Verse, Drop'. But it is what it is! Who knows, maybe one day I'll find exactly what I'm looking for to complete this track.

Anyway, thanks again for the awesome feedback and for listening!

Thanks man

Thanks, that's the vibe I've been trying to get into lately.