Milwaukee music is currently awash in gauzy, ’80s-tinged synth-pop—think GGOOLLDD, NO/NO, Dashcam, etc. But long before those bands were even blips on the retro radar, the mighty Codebreaker held the distinction of being the best space-age dance act in town. Beginning with 2002’s Spacecamp Luxury and ending with 2011’s The Space Chase, Codebreaker constants Steven Hawley and Sage Schwarm cut a unique and stylish figure in the Milwaukee music scene. Their albums were ahead of their time, and their live shows were can’t-miss experiences. Now, in an event almost as unlikely as the events depicted in 1986’s SpaceCamp (“Jinx and Max…friends forever…”), Codebreaker has released a new single—its first in six years.
Schwarm describes “When The Lights Go Down” as something of a “lost track,” one that was set aside after Codebreaker disbanded in 2012. Still, the song’s dance-floor disco groove and Daft Punk flair sound remarkably fresh in 2017. Call it retro futuristic-retro that still manages to sound futuristic. Or something. Either way, it’s great.
Stream “When The Lights Go Down” via iTunes and Apple Music, download an MP3 via Luv Unlimited, or listen to it via YouTube as it accompanies footage from 1985’s Better Off Dead (a $2 donation is optional).