May 21, 2025

Fury Weekend: The Retro Future of Synthwave Rock

In a digital age where attention spans fight for survival and playlists outpace albums, Fury Weekend crashes into the scene like a DeLorean with a V8 engine — loud, neon-soaked, and unapologetically dramatic. Hailing from the heart of Minsk, Belarus, this solo synthwave/rock act is the brainchild of Ars Nikonov, a man who clearly asked himself one day, “What if cyberpunk had a guitar solo?” And ever since, the answer has been echoing through synth-heavy anthems and retro-futuristic album art across the globe.

Enter the Neon Arena

If you’ve ever imagined what an ‘80s action movie soundtrack would sound like if it was mixed with industrial metal and made in 2025, that’s where Fury Weekend lives. He doesn’t just dip his toe in the nostalgic synthwave pool — he cannonballs into it wearing leather boots, sci-fi shades, and a growling Les Paul slung over his shoulder.

Since launching in 2015, Fury Weekend has taken listeners on a journey that feels like Blade Runner had a baby with Tron, and that baby grew up listening to Nine Inch Nails and Van Halen on a Walkman. His debut album Escape from Neon City dropped in 2019 and wasn’t just a mood — it was a mission statement.

Songs like “Thousand Lights” and “Fade Away” didn’t whisper synthwave; they roared it. It wasn’t long before fans were cranking the volume and squinting out windows, pretending their Toyota Corolla was a flying cop cruiser.

Synthwave, But Make It Metal

Fury Weekend isn't content with simply twinkling synth arpeggios. He welds distortion-drenched guitars right into his music, giving his tracks a muscular backbone. The result? A genre all his own — sometimes called “neon metal” — where ‘80s synths flirt with industrial rock, and then they both slam tequila shots and get matching tattoos.

By the time Signals dropped in 2021, he’d found his groove — or maybe his power chord. Either way, it was clear: this wasn't background music for scrolling Instagram. This was drive-fast-through-a-cyber-alley music.

Tracks like “Signals” and “Delirious” demand your attention with searing guitar leads layered over lush pads and pulsing retro beats. It’s not all brute force, though — Fury Weekend’s music has moments of cinematic beauty, moody introspection, and even (gasp) romanticism. He’ll melt your face off one second, then hit you with dreamy nostalgia the next. Basically, he’s your favorite VHS tape: half action flick, half love story.

Collaborator Supreme

One thing Fury Weekend never does is isolate himself in his Belarusian synth-cave. He’s a team player when it counts, and the list of collaborators reads like a who’s-who of synthwave royalty. Scandroid? Check. Essenger? Yup. The Anix, Megan McDuffee, Ollie Wride, PRIZM, and Josh Money? All there. And when you’re getting vocals from Ollie Wride, you know your track is basically wearing a sequin jacket and hitting high notes on a rooftop at night.

Let’s not forget the covers. Because, of course, if you're going to wear your influences proudly, you might as well crank out an industrial-frosted cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s “I Just Want You” or remix Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” into something so neon-lit it could power a Blade Runner sequel. These are not lazy remixes; they’re respectful reimaginings. The soul of the originals is still there — just decked out in cybernetic implants.

Galaxy-Sized Ambitions

The recent singles in 2024 and 2025 have only upped the ante. “Galaxy of Love,” “Don’t Change the Rhythm,” “Feel the Beat,” and the latest drop, “Into the Twilight” (April 2025), all prove that Fury Weekend isn’t slowing down. If anything, he's hitting the accelerator harder.

Let’s pause for a second. “Galaxy of Love”? That title alone sounds like a lost Sega Saturn game — in the best possible way. These tracks build on his earlier sound but feel even more ambitious, more theatrical, more... cinematic universe, if you will. There’s a sense of storytelling now, where each track feels like a chapter in an epic cyberpunk opera.

Side note: If you're listening to Fury Weekend and not wearing a leather jacket, what are you even doing? Go grab one from Newretro.Net. Seriously. Our denim and leather jackets are basically uniforms for anyone piloting an imaginary lightcycle through retro nightscapes. Combine them with our VHS sneakers and you’re not just walking — you're glitch-stepping through time. But no pressure.

The Afterglow and Beyond

With Afterglow (2023), Fury Weekend didn’t just evolve — he ascended. The album explored the spaces between light and shadow, often leaning into slower tempos and haunting atmospheres. But don’t let that fool you — he still throws down with seismic force. It's like a night drive through an abandoned city — gorgeous, mysterious, and slightly dangerous.

Now in 2025, with Million Flares & Starlights lighting up playlists and “Into the Twilight” carving neon trails across digital charts, Fury Weekend is at the top of his game. His Spotify numbers once peaked around 300k monthly listeners back in 2021 — and honestly, that feels criminally low for a sound this large. This isn’t music that hides in a playlist; it kicks the door in with an 808 and a solo.

Why It Works

Let’s be real: synthwave has had its moments in and out of the spotlight. It’s a genre that gets labeled as “nostalgia-core” — but that misses the point. Fury Weekend doesn’t just mine the past for vibes; he reinvents it for the future. He isn’t trying to relive the ‘80s — he’s trying to rewrite them, using chrome-plated distortion and ultraviolet melodies.

And it works because it’s real. Fury Weekend isn’t a gimmick. Ars Nikonov clearly lives and breathes this stuff, and the care he puts into production, artwork, and storytelling proves it.

He’s also ridiculously prolific. Side projects like Painstatic, Unlover, and Martian Love show that this isn’t some flash-in-the-pixel art pan. This is a lifelong obsession turned audio experience — and every release feels like a love letter to analog futures.

Okay, where were we? Ah yes — somewhere between the afterburn of Million Flares & Starlights and the cybernetic heartbeat of Into the Twilight. Fury Weekend has firmly established himself as one of the core architects of the synthwave-meets-metal evolution, and it’s not just the music doing all the heavy lifting. It’s the aesthetic, the atmosphere, the attitude.

Honestly, his entire vibe makes you want to stare out of a rain-soaked window at 3 a.m., wearing futuristic sunglasses and questioning the integrity of your android partner. And we’re so here for it.

The Future is Loud, Synthy, and a Little Bit Sad

Part of what makes Fury Weekend’s music hit differently is how it balances high-octane bravado with an almost cinematic melancholy. Tracks like “Signals” or “Galaxy of Love” carry that bittersweet tension — like you're winning the battle but losing the war... in slow motion... on VHS.

The drums? Crisp and commanding.
The synths? Soaring like neon birds over a pixel skyline.
The guitars? Think: “if Tony Stark played metal in an abandoned arcade.”

And then there’s the emotion. Hidden underneath the dystopian bravado is something that actually feels. That’s rare in electronic-heavy genres. It’s not just about sounding cool (though it absolutely does) — it’s about connecting. Even when the lyrics are minimal, the message is felt in the pacing, the textures, the ghostly pads that shimmer like city lights on a rainy night.

Fury Weekend’s sound says:

You’re not alone in this neon world.
We’re all feeling the same beat.
And also, maybe… it’s time for a guitar solo.

Influences? More Like Inspirations

It's pretty clear that Ars Nikonov is someone who’s marinated in pop culture, especially ‘80s and ‘90s futurism. Think Akira, Terminator, The Matrix, and yes, probably more than a few hours replaying Deus Ex. But rather than replicate those aesthetics, he evolves them.

And hey, let’s not pretend the man isn’t a master curator of vibes. Take his visual branding: sleek chrome fonts, digital static, sci-fi cover art that looks like it was ripped from a forgotten Sega Genesis game. The man has taste.

And that taste spills into every project he touches — whether it’s Fury Weekend or side hustles like Unlover (for the moody dreamers) or Painstatic (for the darkwave metalheads). It’s not about doing one thing well — it’s about building a world where everything fits. One long, continuous aesthetic loop that just begs you to plug in and never look away.

So… What’s It Like Live?

You might be asking: “Cool, but does it translate to a live show?”

First of all — yes. While Fury Weekend hasn’t hit every global stage yet (c’mon promoters, this is your cue), the live arrangements pack just as much punch. Guitars are often even heavier in person, the bass rumbles deeper, and the neon visuals make you feel like you’re watching a holographic gig on Mars sponsored by retro energy drinks.

It’s not just a performance — it’s an experience. Like watching someone DJ a nuclear meltdown... in the best way possible.

And pro tip: a Newretro.Net fit is basically the uniform for these shows. Picture this: retro-washed denim, VHS sneakers that look like you stepped out of a laser grid, and sunglasses that say “I respect the past, but I drive toward the future.” It’s not cosplay — it’s a lifestyle.

The Scene, the Sound, the Syndicate

Let’s not forget Fury Weekend is part of the FiXT Neon label, a haven for genre-defying cyberpunk sorcery. Sharing label space with the likes of Scandroid and The Anix isn’t just convenient — it’s a powerhouse move. It means collaboration is fluid, and the sound universe he’s part of is always evolving, cross-pollinating, and mutating into something more dazzling.

And speaking of collabs: we need to talk more about Megan McDuffee. When she lends her haunting vocals to Fury Weekend’s thundering beats, it feels like angels from a dystopian future are serenading your broken heart... in a rainstorm… while you hold a neon umbrella.

Yeah. It's that specific.

What’s Next?

At this point, Fury Weekend has transcended the limits of just being “another synthwave project.” He’s world-building. Each album, each EP, each track is like a new district in his cybernetic city — some bright and bustling, others shadowy and deserted.

What’s next? We can only guess, but here are some dreams we’d be into:

A concept album with a visual comic tie-in (call it Neon Saga: Volume One)
A collab with Carpenter Brut or Perturbator — just to see what happens when the neon explodes
A side-scrolling arcade game where every level is based on a Fury Weekend album (again: Sega, call us)

In any case, the direction is upward and forward. And if we’re lucky, sideways into a digital dimension full of riffs, synths, and maybe a little heartbreak.

So whether you're already deep in the glow of Fury Weekend’s discography or you’re just now booting up your first listen, one thing’s for sure: there’s no turning back. His sound is a time machine, a spaceship, a confession, and a revolution — all wrapped in analog distortion and futuristic sheen.

Just remember:

Keep the volume loud.
Keep your jackets leather.
And if anyone asks where you got those retro shades?
Just nod and say, “Newretro.Net. You wouldn’t get it.”

Catch you in the afterglow.