The radical aesthetic of Vaporwave album covers is a bizarre vista through a distantly familiar decade.
Drawing on the aural tropes of MOR, Lounge and Smooth Jazz, the Muzak infused micro-genre recalls the 90’s through a haze of chopped and screwed sax riffs and slowed mid-tempo crooning. Appropriately, the accompanying net art movement plays on themes of heady commercialism and Information Age induced loneliness. As merchandising motifs of the decade are thrown onto early computer graphics and marbled 3D renders sit atop Anime stills all with a distinct vaporwave font.
We’ve catalogued 20 Album Covers that exemplify the audiovisual accelerationsim unique to Vaporwave.
20. 2814 – 新しい日の誕生 [Dream Catalogue]
19. Quick Brown Fox – 滝ジャンプ移動しないでください
18. Haircuts for Men – +0 EP [DMT Records]
17. Amun Dragoon – Socotra Island
16. Oscob/Digital Sex – OVERGROWTH [Dream Catalogue]
15. 神秘的情人 – 泰合志恒 [Tokyo Exchange]
14. TASPO – SIMULATION
13. G A M E S H A R K – SHARK 2 [Midnight Moon Tapes]
12. HELLCOM – MAGAZINE [business casual]
11. PEGA – 新しい日
10. 企業のamerica – Pythagori’s Journey 現代の
09. VA – The Eternal Dream System [Dream Catalogue]
08. ECO VIRTUAL – ATMOSPHERES 第4
07. Sandtimer – Leave With Us [Nirvana Port]
06. チェスマスタ- 夢に生きます [Nirvana Port]
05. APOLO TREVENT & CUSTOMER SERVICE – PARTNERSHIP [Midnight Moon Tapes]
04. Sandtimer – Vaporwave Is Dead [Dream Catalogue]
03. PZA – CAPITAL CUSTOMER [business casual]
02. Golden Living Room – Post-Internet
01. Roex – ジオフロント (GeoFront)
If you can’t get enough vaporwave or if you want to use it in your own work take a look at these vaporwave fonts that we put together.