Eagle Eyed Tiger: The Synth-Savvy Shape-Shifter of the Retroverse
Every once in a while, someone doesn’t just dip a toe into a genre—they do a full swan dive, create a new swimming style while they’re at it, and somehow emerge completely dry and cool as hell. That someone is Eagle Eyed Tiger. And no, that’s not a kung fu movie character (though now we kind of wish it were). It’s the musical moniker of NYC-based producer-singer-multi-instrumentalist Omar Rana—a name whispered with admiration in the hazy, neon-lit corners of the retrowave and synth community.
If you’re into synthwave, chillsynth, or any of those genres that sound like they belong to the year 2087 but somehow hit the soul in the present, chances are you've felt the Tiger’s claws on your playlists. From cassette drops to cinematic double LPs, Eagle Eyed Tiger is crafting an evolving narrative across time, space, and soundwaves.
But let’s rewind the tape a little.
Enter the Tiger: Origins of Omar Rana
Hailing from New York City, Omar Rana isn’t just a musician. He’s a storyteller. The kind who uses synth patches, layered melodies, and cinematic flair instead of chapters and paragraphs. Since his early days on SoundCloud, Rana’s work has stood out—not just because of his genre-blending approach but also because of the world-building behind each release.
In 2017, Rana introduced himself to the digital masses with the Hostages EP and Separations LP. You know when you listen to something and think, “Wait, this sounds like a soundtrack to a movie that hasn’t been made yet”? That’s what those records felt like. And they weren’t just mood music—they were experiences.
The vibes?
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Chill enough to loop while you watch rain roll down a window.
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Groovy enough to walk around NYC at night and pretend you’re in a cyber-noir film.
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Introspective enough to make you wonder if your toaster has feelings.
And let's talk about gear (briefly, promise): analog synths, reverb-heavy textures, dreamy pads—this guy knows how to paint with sound. If Blade Runner and a Studio Ghibli film had a baby and raised it in Brooklyn, Eagle Eyed Tiger would be that baby’s favorite artist.
The Retro Evolution: From On the Run to Feathers
By 2019, Eagle Eyed Tiger was really stretching his claws. The Future or Past EP and On the Run LP signaled a sonic expansion. The beats got a little punchier. The mood, more mysterious. There was a noticeable shift in storytelling—still dreamy, but more urgent, more cinematic. A little like someone who found their favorite VHS tape and realized it had new scenes they’d never seen before.
And speaking of VHS—if you’re the kind of guy who wears retro leather jackets, high-top VHS-inspired sneakers, and has a closet that looks like an '80s arcade, then you’re basically living the Eagle Eyed Tiger lifestyle already. You’d probably get along real well with the folks over at Newretro.Net, where the fashion is as nostalgic and forward-thinking as Rana’s music. Coincidence? Maybe. Cosmic alignment? Probably.
Back to the tunes.
In 2020, he dropped Smile for the Camera, a lush, layered LP that felt like cruising through digital nostalgia. It was as if everything up to that point had been a warm-up. Songs glistened like rain-slicked neon streets, vocals echoed like memories, and the whole album moved like a pulse beneath a city that never sleeps.
Then came Untether, Unravel in 2021, which wasn’t just an album—it was a sci-fi short film experience. Who else does this? Seriously. The visual dimension added a narrative layer that transformed the album from a listening session into a full-blown immersive event. It wasn’t just about synths anymore. It was about storytelling, character, mood, and style.
Aesthetics Matter, Sound Even More
One thing Eagle Eyed Tiger nails consistently is vibe.
Every release feels like a complete package. From album covers (which are basically desktop wallpaper goldmines) to physical releases like colored vinyls and limited-run cassettes, the aesthetic game is on point. The Feathers LP (2022), for example, came in a stunning marble vinyl that sold out faster than you can say “synthpop.”
And here’s the thing—he’s not just playing retro. He understands retro. He channels it with care. He makes it modern without gutting its soul. It’s no wonder he’s collaborated with fellow synth wizards like oDDling and Adieu Aru. You can tell he’s part of a broader scene but also orbiting his own unique planet.
For those curious about numbers, Rana’s not just a niche darling—he pulls in over 100k monthly listeners on Spotify. That’s not small beans. That’s “I might casually soundtrack your next indie film” territory.
Singles That Stuck in Our Heads Like Chewing Gum on a VHS Tape
If you’re looking for a quick way to dive into the discography, here are a few must-listens:
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Stasis – Lo-fi groove meets emotional gravity. Perfect for late-night coding sessions or walks through Blade Runner-esque dreams.
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Persona – A smooth, contemplative banger. Feels like riding an elevator to a space station’s jazz lounge.
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Call of the Night – If neon could sing, this would be its karaoke pick.
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Something More – Retro romanticism with heart and edge.
Each track offers a different piece of the Tiger puzzle. One moment you're drifting in an analog dream, the next you're low-key fighting off space pirates in a hovercar. Emotion meets imagination—and that’s where Eagle Eyed Tiger thrives.
What’s the Future? Only the Castle Knows
In 2024, Eagle Eyed Tiger returned with Inside Our Crumbling Castle, a double LP that felt like the culmination of everything he’s done—bigger, bolder, more expansive. Think: retro-futuristic opulence meets melancholy soundscapes. It’s an album that feels like it knows you’re living in a fractured world and offers a soundtrack to make it beautiful anyway.
But what lies inside that crumbling castle? What stories are being whispered behind its analog walls?
Yeah... we’re not done here.
Stay tuned.
...Continuing Through the Castle: Eagle Eyed Tiger’s Mythic Journey in Music
So here we are—deep inside the marble corridors of Inside Our Crumbling Castle, and honestly, we’re not sure if we’re supposed to dance, cry, or start writing cyberpunk poetry on a vintage typewriter. Eagle Eyed Tiger has that effect on people.
This isn’t just a “press play and forget” double LP. It’s layered, poetic, and moody in all the best ways—like a rainy rooftop scene from a film that never got made but should’ve been Oscar-nominated. Across Inside Our Crumbling Castle, Omar Rana doesn’t just drop tracks—he unfurls chapters. You get the sense that the “crumbling castle” isn’t just a physical place. It’s a metaphor for memory, for time, maybe even for the shifting soundscape of synth music itself.
But here’s the kicker: despite its ambition, the album remains intimate. It's big without being bombastic, like watching fireworks through a fogged-up window. That’s where Eagle Eyed Tiger shines—his ability to balance scale with subtlety. It’s never just noise or nostalgia for the sake of aesthetics. Every beat, every pad, every fuzzy lo-fi vocal has a purpose.
Why the Synth Scene Needs Artists Like This
Let’s get real for a second: the synthwave/retrowave space can sometimes feel a little… templated. Neon grid, outrun font, some rain, and boom—done. But Eagle Eyed Tiger has never played by those paint-by-numbers rules. He doesn’t just wear the retro costume; he lives in its skin, plays around with it, reimagines it, and occasionally sets it on fire to build something new from the ashes.
Need proof?
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He dropped a sci-fi short film to accompany an album.
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His cassette releases sell like hotcakes at a DeLorean car show.
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He doesn’t release singles like breadcrumbs—each one is a standalone event.
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He blends lo-fi, chillwave, cinematic scoring, ambient synth, and even a sprinkle of indie rock sensibility.
If there’s a Mount Rushmore for modern synth artists who genuinely push the genre forward without turning it into parody, you better believe Omar Rana’s face is getting chiseled on it—probably with sunglasses and a windbreaker.
For the Aesthetic Warriors
Let’s say you're not a music nerd. Maybe you’re someone who just likes cruising at midnight with something dreamy playing, or dressing like an off-duty time traveler. If that’s you, then both Eagle Eyed Tiger’s music and his entire vibe are your spirit animals. This is music for:
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Staring into the skyline from a fire escape.
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Drawing pixel art with half a cocktail in your hand.
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Wearing your Newretro.Net bomber jacket and trying to remember if you’re in 1986 or 2086.
Speaking of which, there’s something poetic about fans of Eagle Eyed Tiger rocking the gear from Newretro.Net. Both tap into that nostalgic future-tinted past—but keep it modern, clean, and unmistakably cool. Like a good synth line, a retro denim jacket never goes out of style. And honestly, if Eagle Eyed Tiger had a uniform, it’d probably involve a pair of our VHS-inspired sneakers and a moody pair of shades.
What Keeps Him Special
We’ve seen artists come and go in the synth scene. Some burn hot and fade fast. Others get stuck repeating their first good idea over and over again. But Eagle Eyed Tiger? He reinvents, evolves, and expands with each release.
Let’s break it down:
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Consistency: A new release nearly every year since 2017. That’s a work ethic powered by pure creative juice.
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Physical Drops: In a world of disposable streams, he’s making collectibles—colored vinyl, cassettes, art-driven packaging.
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Collaborations That Count: From oDDling’s ambient brilliance to Adieu Aru’s dreamlike detours, his features aren’t clout-chasing. They’re chemistry-based.
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Genre Fluidity: Lo-fi? Check. Chillwave? Yup. Synthpop, cinematic electro, ambient dreamscapes? All in the mix.
And maybe most importantly: he makes music that feels like it matters to him. You can hear the thought behind the synth patches, the care in the transitions, the late-night hours poured into each composition.
Where to From Here?
You know that feeling after finishing a great novel where you want more—but also don’t want to ruin the ending? That’s where Inside Our Crumbling Castle leaves you. You get the sense that this might be the end of a chapter for Eagle Eyed Tiger, not the story itself.
The world he’s building—whether through standalone singles like Call of the Night or through conceptual LPs—is growing more complex, more cinematic, more emotionally rich. There’s probably another evolution on the horizon. A new sound? A new alias? A collab project? Who knows.
And that’s kind of the beauty of it. Eagle Eyed Tiger isn’t the kind of artist you “figure out.” He’s the kind of artist you follow because you don’t know what’s coming next.
Final Thoughts (But Not Really the End)
In a musical era where algorithms reward repetition and playlists are engineered for passive listening, Eagle Eyed Tiger dares to be intentional. He doesn’t make songs for background noise—he makes music for moments, for memories, for moods.
So if you haven’t yet, do yourself a favor:
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Throw on Memento while walking alone at dusk.
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Let Feathers play while you work through your weird dreams from last night.
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Queue up Persona the next time you stare at the skyline wondering what version of yourself lives in a parallel universe.
And maybe, just maybe, do it while wearing something cool from Newretro.Net. Because great music deserves a great soundtrack—and great vibes deserve great style.
Keep your ears open. Because in the static between stations, behind the crumbling towers and fading memories of a past that never quite existed, Eagle Eyed Tiger is probably already writing the next page. And trust us—you’re going to want to hear it.
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