https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/our-impossibly-small-souled-president/amp/

To answer your question, the Monkees. They were manufactured to make perfect pop. Even Soft Cell has better singles than Duran Duran which, even though they may not have technically been synth-pop (they played instruments, right?), are among my least favorite of that early ’80s movement. Give me Culture Club or Bronski Beat.