Artoffact Records – Queen City Sounds and Art

Madeline Goldstein’s Darkwave Single “One Star One Body” is a Synthpop Song of Personal Liberation From Personal and Social Limitations

Madeline Goldstein, photo courtesy the artist

Madeline Goldstein introduces “One Star One Body” with a harmonic, spectral washes over minimal percussion and establishes the dreamlike mood that permeates her forthcoming album Speaking to the Body (out April 10, 2026 via Artoffact Records). When Goldstein’s vocals come in with a soulful yearning she sings about uncertainty, desire and an ache to transcend human limitations but ultimately accepting them and thus oneself. The melancholic sheen of the first two thirds of the song gives way to great forward motion in industrialized beats transforming the vulnerable synthpop song into something darker and direct like the narration from the earlier part of the song is being channeled into action. The stasis and discomfort of the more introspective part of the song as gorgeous as it sounds is converted into the the will to tunnel out of a period of self-doubt, self-repression, oppression and needing to mask an authentic self. As an album closer it is particularly effective and makes one wonder what Goldstein will do next. Listen to “One Star One Body” on Spotify and follow Madeline Goldstein at the links below. The artist is touring the USA this spring in support of the new record.

Madeline Goldstein on Instagram

Madeline Goldstein on Bandcamp

Madeline Goldstein Entrancing Darkwave Synthpop Single “Dream 2 Die” is a Song About Personal Liminal Spaces and Transcending Stasis

At the beginning of Madeline Goldstein’s new single “Dream 2 Die,” it’ obvious that the songwriter has mastered the art of the percussive bass synth line. It’s a sound reminiscent of the better end of the Pet Shop Boys and New Order catalogs. The shimmering synth melody over the top and Goldstein’s signature soulful/evocatively ethereal vocals get into your head for a song about the lingering impact of a time we all went through when many of us were isolated and the world seemed to have changed forever. For some people this sense of isolation was a familiar experience that continued and for Goldstein it is clearly a source of inspiration in articulating so well a psychological liminal space where things can feel in a constant state of flux and of becoming without quite reaching an endpoint. The echoing vocals and the quickly resolving icy synth line on hypnotic repeat frame a song that is captivating and mysterious and feels simultaneously like comforting the feelings of anyone that has felt stuck and a will to move forward into the uncharted and unknown. Listen to “Dream 2 Die” on YouTube and follow Madeline Goldstein at the links below. The songwriter/singer’s new album Speaking to the Body is out April 10, 2026 via Artoffact Records on translucent red vinyl, digital download and streaming.

Madeline Goldstein on Instagram

Madeline Goldstein on Bandcamp

Madeline Goldstein’s Commanding Synth Pop Single “My Own Design” Reigns in a Spiral Into Anxiety and Panic

Madeline Goldstein once again demonstrates her complete mastery of composing percussive synth tone and rhythm on “My Own Design.” The song is about finding a way of handling the experience of anxiety and panic by projecting those feelings outward and describing them in words and wrangling them with captivating melody and dance beats. What Goldstein does in this song, as in others, is find a way to externalize what it’s like to live with those feelings that can feel constant or constantly on the horizon of consciousness threatening to crash in and derail one’s ability to function. Yet sometimes when you feel like you know what’s going on and can think through it you can ride through the worst of the moments with a sense of self preserved which makes it easier to pull yourself out of panic mode through an awareness of what’s going on no matter the specific triggers. In the song Goldstein sings about really feeling those feelings that can trigger one’s panic reaction rather than suppress them as a way to comprehension even if it can all feel incomprehensible in the moment. The circling vocal choruses are like mantras of being in the moment and work as anchors of a well crafted pop song which Goldstein has delivered in her recorded output to this point. Throughout the song Goldstein appears to sing about how she feels overwhelmed by feelings while showing how to propel oneself out of state of feeling helpless. Fans of Molly Nilsson, The Motels and OMD will appreciate the way Goldstein orchestrates her songwriting generally and the rich melodies and deeply evocative vocals that are simultaneously vulnerable and confident. Listen to “My Own Design” on YouTube and follow Madeline Goldstein at the links below. Expect the new album out in 2026 on Artoffact Records.