Defeat the Porpoise isn’t just music—it’s a high-speed car chase through your childhood, set to a neon-soaked soundtrack of pulsating synths and drum machine grooves. With melodies ripped from a forgotten VHS action flick and basslines that belong in a 16-bit side-scroller, this one-man synthwave project blends nostalgia, adventure, and just enough absurdity to keep things interesting.
 

The Origin Story

Trevor Drake wasn’t always a synthwave artist. For most of his twenties, he worked the night shift at a 24-hour gas station, where his only companions were stale coffee, flickering fluorescent lights, and the ancient arcade cabinet in the corner: Sharkstrike 2: Porpoise Revenge. He played it religiously, captivated by the pixelated ocean battles and the relentless 8-bit soundtrack that thumped like a heart in a trench coat.
 

One night, as Trevor guided Captain Finley through the treacherous "Mariana Madness" level, the screen glitched, froze, and displayed a message he swears wasn’t programmed into the game:
 

"Defeat the Porpoise. Save the Future."
 

Trevor stood there, stunned. Then the machine sparked, the synth-heavy soundtrack glitched into a perfect arpeggiated riff, and Trevor felt a wave of pure feels. It was the sound of his childhood—lazy Saturday mornings with Street Fighter II, late-night action movies with heroes who always wore sunglasses, even indoors. The next morning, he maxed out his credit card on a vintage synthesizer and never looked back.
 

The Music

Defeat the Porpoise is what happens when you give a kid raised on VHS tapes and game cartridges a synth and no adult supervision. The tracks are built on layers of shimmering synths, retro drum machines, and melodies that sound like they belong in a training montage for a cyborg cop avenging his partner’s death.
 

The debut album, "Neon Tides and Electric Crimes", took off when a YouTuber used "Turbo Dolphin Pursuit" in a video about retro game consoles. Now, Defeat the Porpoise has a devoted fanbase of synthwave enthusiasts, nostalgic nerds, and at least one guy who insists it’s "the perfect soundtrack for metal detecting on the beach."
 

Key Tracks

🎶 "Turbo Dolphin Pursuit" – A high-energy chase theme inspired by Sharkstrike 2’s boss level.

🎶 "Neon Nights, Porpoise Fights" – Synth-driven nostalgia meets a bassline built for midnight car rides.

🎶 "VHS Dreams and Laser Beams" – An anthem to childhood adventure, recorded entirely in his mom’s garage.

🎶 "Escape from Wave City" – A cinematic, retro-futuristic banger that sounds like a lost Sega Genesis soundtrack.
 

The Live Experience

Trevor tours solo, often dressed like an action hero from a forgotten 1986 film—leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and sunglasses (regardless of venue lighting). His stage setup includes a custom arcade cabinet called The Porpoise Engine, which triggers synth effects when he hits combo moves.
 

The visuals are pure 80s: synth grid horizons, laser dolphins, and pixelated porpoises menacing a futuristic metropolis. At some point during the set, Trevor will dramatically point to the crowd and shout: "We will NOT let the porpoise win!"
 

The Philosophy

When asked why he chose the name Defeat the Porpoise, Trevor explains:

​

"The porpoise represents the boring, soul-crushing reality of adulthood. The endless meetings, the bills, the feeling that the best adventures are behind you. But the kid in us wants more—we want neon streets, arcade sounds, and epic quests. So we defeat the porpoise. Every damn day."

So if you’re craving an escape to simpler times—where the heroes were tough, the synths were thick, and the adventure never really ended—turn up Defeat the Porpoise.

​

Because the past might be gone, but the soundtrack lives on. 🎛️🕹️💾