Chemistry Set Return With “Forgotten”

Chemistry Set’s “Forgotten” has a backstory that could have done all the heavy lifting. An ’80s synth-pop band from New Jersey releases archival material decades later, gets rediscovered by the Lostwave community, then returns with its first new song in 40 years.

That is enough for a headline on its own.

The better part is that “Forgotten” does not sound like a band trying to recreate the exact shape of its old records where instead Steve Mecca and Terry Kennedy could have leaned into the brighter, bubbly synth-pop sound Chemistry Set was known for in the 1980s. Instead, “Forgotten” heads into a darker space, closer to noir jazz, downtempo, and trip-hop than retro revival.

Chemistry Set previously released Experiments From The Lab, an album of songs recorded during the band’s original active period, along with several “songs from the vault” demos from the same era. That archival chapter helped bring the group back into view. “Forgotten” is different because it starts the next phase.

For readers who still track how ’80s synth-pop continues to echo in modern music, my piece on OMD’s ongoing tour and legacy sits in the same larger conversation. Chemistry Set are coming from a far more underground place, but the question is similar: what does a synth-pop act do when history catches back up with it?

The Song Leaves the Bubbly Side Behind

“Forgotten” is a departure from Chemistry Set’s earlier sound.

The references around the release point toward Portishead, Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone, which tells you a lot about the track’s temperature before you hear a note.

It is slow-burning, moody, and atmospheric. The groove sits lower. The vocal presence feels more haunted. The piano gives the song a human sadness that keeps it from feeling like a synth exercise.

Mecca largely composed the music, while Kennedy added piano, created the melody, handled the vocals, and mixed the track. That division of labor gives “Forgotten” a clear emotional split. The production has a shadowy, downtempo pulse, while Kennedy’s vocal and piano work pull the song into something more intimate.

Grammy-winning mastering engineer Jonas W.K. handled the mastering in Los Angeles, giving the track a final polish without stripping away its darker character.

A related mood shows up in my coverage of Golden Bug’s psychedelic trip-hop album track, where atmosphere and groove work together instead of fighting for space. “Forgotten” sits in a more noir-tinted pocket, but the appeal is similar: the song moves because the mood is doing real work.

The Distance Became Part of the Process

The new Chemistry Set material is being made across the country, with Kennedy in California and Mecca in New York. That distance could have ended the idea before it started, especially since Mecca had been semi-inactive and mostly working with analog gear in his home studio.

Instead, the distance seems to have pushed the project into a new working method. After conversations with Kennedy, Mecca picked up FL Studio and started writing new material. Kennedy was already working in Pro Tools, which gave the collaboration a modern path forward after decades away from active songwriting together.

Comeback narratives always carry a risk.

“Forgotten” Starts the Next Chemistry Set Chapter

“Forgotten” is the first in a planned series of new bi-coastal Chemistry Set collaborations, which gives the single more weight than a one-off return. It is a digital-only release available on major streaming platforms and Bandcamp, with more music planned in the months ahead.

What makes the release compelling is how unforced it feels. Chemistry Set isn’t trying to chase modern synth-pop trends, and they aren’t trying to rebuild their 1980s sound piece by piece. “Forgotten” sounds older in the right ways and newer in the right ways: reflective, dark, patient, and shaped by people who have had time to live since the first version of the band.

That is also why the title works. “Forgotten” is not only about memory loss or distance. It plays like a correction. The band may have been sitting outside the center of attention for decades, but the song suggests the story is still active.

For another recent Magnetic piece around introspective synth-pop songwriting, Kefeider’s “Running Like It’s Easy” comes from a different generation but shares a similar interest in emotional shadow. Chemistry Set’s version is slower, smokier, and more nocturnal.

“Forgotten” is out now.

This article is supported by Chemistry Set.