Cinematic synth-pop that echoes the emotional depth of the greats—poetic, immersive, and unapologetically sincere.
Toby Berka is redefining modern synth-pop with a cinematic, emotionally fearless approach that bridges the legacy of icons like Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, and Björk. A multi-instrumentalist and self-producing auteur, Berka crafts immersive sonic journeys that unfold like films—layered, poetic, and deeply human. His albums Tainted Euphoria and Radiant Bliss are not just collections of songs but emotional odysseys, blending ambient textures, heartfelt lyricism, and sweeping production. In a world of fleeting trends, Berka builds timeless emotional worlds.
Discover the sountrack for your life
Coming soon! Hidden Passion — shimmering, intimate, and irresistibly alive. With lush synths and fearless emotion, Toby Berka crafts an album that moves, heals, and ignites.
Radiant Bliss – a lush, cinematic synth-pop journey through love, loss, and hope. Emotionally rich, poetically honest—this is music that creates worlds.
Tainted Euphoria – a synth-pop dream—warm, cinematic, and emotionally raw. It doesn’t just play, it unfolds. Vulnerable, poetic, and sonically rich—Toby Berka’s Tainted Euphoria is a soundtrack for the soul.
Toby Berka writes synth-pop like a poet—cinematic: sincere, and emotionally fearless
Toby Berka is a modern-day troubadour whose synth-pop songs read like poetry and unfold like cinematic journeys. With lyrics that echo the emotional depth of Leonard Cohen, the romanticism of Pablo Neruda, and the spiritual clarity of Mary Oliver, Berka crafts music that is both timeless and deeply personal. His work blends poetic storytelling with lush, cinematic production, offering listeners a rare kind of emotional sincerity in today’s digital age. For those who believe lyrics still matter, Berka is a revelation.
Cinematic synth-Pop with a Poet’s Soul
Toby Berka is carving a unique space in modern music by blending the emotional honesty of singer-songwriters with the cinematic scope of film composers. His work is ideal for listeners who appreciate deeply felt, immersive music that tells a story and creates a world.
Poetry in motion, synth in soul.
In the Company of Songwriting Legends
To understand Berka’s place in the musical canon, it helps to look at the company he keeps—at least spiritually:
- Leonard Cohen: Like Cohen, Berka writes with poetic precision and emotional gravity. Both artists explore love, longing, and spiritual searching with lyrical elegance and melodic restraint. Annie Lennox: Berka shares Lennox’s gift for emotional clarity and vocal intimacy. His ballads echo her ability to make vulnerability sound powerful.
- David Bowie: In songs like The Zeitgeist and Something Wicked, Berka channels Bowie’s theatrical flair and existential curiosity, though with a more romantic and grounded tone.
- Tori Amos: Berka’s introspective, often mystical lyrics and keyboard-driven arrangements recall Amos’s confessional style and poetic complexity.
- Pet Shop Boys: There’s a shared DNA in the blend of synth-pop sophistication and emotional storytelling. But where the Pet Shop Boys often lean into irony, Berka leans into sincerity.
Poetic Parallels in the Sound of Language
The lyrics build upon a rich tradition of transformation, existential yearning, and romance bordering on the spiritual. The artist’s themes echo the works of familiar poets:
- Pablo Neruda: Romantic sensuality, emotional intensity, and metaphors of nature and the body. Songs like Deeper Love and Your Love echo Neruda’s Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair.
- Rainer Maria Rilke: Spiritual introspection and emotional vulnerability. Tracks like Me Again and The Future is Ours reflect Rilke’s meditative tone and existential depth.
- Mary Oliver: Celebration of the present moment and nature’s beauty. Take It In and Stargazing mirror Oliver’s reverence for the sensory world.
- Sylvia Plath: Emotional rawness and confessional tone, especially in songs like How Can I Sleep? and Unforseen.
- Walt Whitman: Expansive, inclusive voice and celebration of self and journey. Unknown Lands and Light the Way echo Whitman’s themes of exploration and transcendence.
On the Shoulders of Synth-Pop Giants
These comparisons don’t diminish Berka’s originality—they illuminate it. He’s not imitating; he’s evolving the tradition. Indeed, his work can be seen as a modern evolution of the synth-pop and art-pop traditions pioneered by these artists. He combines:
- The emotional sincerity of Annie Lennox
- The cinematic ambition of Ultravox and Duran Duran
- The introspective depth of Tears for Fears
- The sonic craftsmanship of Depeche Mode and Gary Numan
- The poetic, immersive world-building of Björk
But what sets him apart is his total creative control and his filmic approach to album structure, making each release feel like a cohesive emotional journey rather than a collection of singles.
Toby Berka 