New Wave Guitar
New wave brought angular guitar lines, chorus-drenched arpeggios and a stripped-back approach that prioritized hooks over solos. Bands like The Police, Duran Duran and The Cars used the guitar as a texture instrument, layering clean chords with effects rather than driving the song with riffs.
If you want to work on your clean tone, chord voicings beyond basic open shapes and tasteful use of delay and chorus, new wave is the genre to explore.
China In Your Hand 1
New Wave Guitar Style
The defining sound is clean or lightly overdriven guitar through chorus and delay pedals. Andy Summers of The Police is the template: sparse arpeggios that leave space, unusual chord extensions (add9, sus2) and rhythmic precision that locks with the bass and drums.
Every Breath You Take is a perfect starting point. The entire song is built on a single arpeggiated pattern that sounds simple but requires consistent picking control. Explore Synthpop for more from this era.