50 Best Retrowave Songs for IG Reels & Stories

Best Retrowave Tracks for Instagram Reels and Stories

There’s something surreal that hits when retrowave starts playing over a short clip. Neon-soaked synths carry a mood that feels both vintage and like it slipped out of a dream, the kind of sound that makes a plain hallway glow or turns a late-night drive into something cinematic. It’s not really nostalgia and not really the future, but a blur of both at once. The right track slides into your reel and suddenly the scene feels charged, like you stepped into someone else’s arcade memory. Some of these picks might not literally be retrowave in the strict sense, but they hold that pulse that makes the aesthetic stick.

Retrowave works differently from the usual pop, rock, country, and R&B songs people grab for reels. It leans on synths that shimmer and beats that repeat until you start seeing colors that aren’t there. Instead of trying to hype you up or keep things light, it can hang in that strange space between energy and calm, where everything feels heightened but slightly out of reach. You don’t even need flashy visuals to make it work. A dimly lit room, a quick shot of city lights, or a clip of nothing much at all suddenly takes on a life of its own when those glowing synths are underneath.

These songs fit reels and stories because they don’t try to explain the moment. They let the moment hang, stretched out and buzzing, sometimes messy and other times perfectly still. You might hear one in the background and not even realize it’s shaping the whole mood until after it ends. That’s the trick with this sound—it sneaks up, makes everything look sharper, and then fades away. Here are the best retrowave songs for Instagram reels and stories.

1. 'Nightcall' by Kavinsky

2. 'Genesis' by Grum

3. 'Running In The Night' by FM-84

4. 'Neon Artery' by Sung

5. 'Accelerated' by Miami Nights 1984

6. 'Roller Mobster' by Carpenter Brut

7. 'Days of Thunder' by The Midnight

8. 'Woken Furies' by Gunship

9. 'A Real Hero' by Electric Youth

10. 'Echoes' by FM Attack

11. 'Feel The Air' by Mitch Murder

12. 'Crimson Skyline' by Vanishing Lights

13. 'Starfighter' by Wice

14. 'Neo-Tokyo' by Scandroid

15. 'Through the Night' by Droid Bishop

16. 'Waiting Up' by Gryff

17. 'Ocean Drive' by Miami Nights 1984

18. 'Redline' by Lazerhawk

19. 'Let's Stay Out' by Let Em Riot

20. 'Cosmic Road' by Sung

21. 'Summer Lights' by W O L F C L U B

22. 'Better the Devil You Know' by Street Cleaner

23. 'Cruel Love' by Alex Markham

24. 'Strangers on Film' by Yota

25. 'Night Stalker' by Carpenter Brut

26. 'Crystalline' by The Midnight

27. 'Come Alive' by Ace Buchannon

28. 'Lost Memories' by Midnight Station

29. 'Only In My Dreams' by Fury Weekend

30. 'Feel For You' by Timecop1983

31. 'Lifeline' by Foret de Vin

32. 'Night Flight' by Dream Fiend

33. 'San Junipero' by Speed Limits

34. 'The Fckng Parade' by Steve Sono

35. 'Lightchaser' by Cinnamon Chasers

36. 'Lost' by PYLOT

37. 'Voyage' by A.L.S.I.O.N.

38. 'Chrissy' by Dreamkid

39. 'Quasar' by Dynatron

40. 'Out of Body' by Dance With the Dead

41. 'Danger Zone' by Gunship

42. 'The Great Costume Party' by Vanishing Lights

43. 'Back to the City' by Lazer Club

44. 'On Fire' by SYLLIUS

45. 'The Ghost and The Highway' by The Ghost and The Highway

46. 'Night Drive' by Trevor Something

47. 'Love a Hero' by LanTheMan

48. 'The Call' by Chris Keya

49. 'End of Romance' by TV Players

50. 'A Day In Queens' by Matt Archie