Browsing Tag

Progressive House Pop

Whit2Boi’s Progressive House KPop Earworm, ‘Set the Vive’, Pulses Through the Cracks of Reality

Posted on 8 April 2025
Whit2Boi

Whit2Boi threw out the rulebook to make room for an innovative recalibration of electronic music with his KPop-laced house anthem Set the Vive, featuring the exhilarating vocal presence of Estelle. While Western EDM producers cling to worn-out formulas, Whit2Boi architects an entirely different experience—one that abstracts your senses from material reality and relocates you into the textural transcendence of his sound.

Set the Vive is a slamming EDM house release that hypersonically injects euphoria into every drop. The builds, however, are where Whit2Boi’s signature hits hardest. Meditative textures ripple through the structure with spiritual and naturalistic ambience, dialling back the intensity just long enough to let the anticipation simmer into something more divine than mechanical.

Where other artists are happy to build club tracks for disposable escapism, Set the Vive constructs a world beyond imagination and delivers you straight into it. This isn’t an anthem for losing yourself on the dancefloor. It’s full-body escapism from an artist who understands how to make the synthetic feel sentient.

Discover Whit2Boi on SoundCloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ethan Waters Paints a Love Story for the Ages with Euphoric Precision in ‘For You’

Posted on 9 March 2025

Ethan Waters may be fresh on the scene, but he’s already proving he’s got the instincts to leave an impression that lasts longer than the sugar rush of his latest single, For You. Locking into the contemporary progressive dance-pop trend, Waters follows in the footsteps of Avicii—at his own tempo, with his own authenticated spin on sun-bleached euphoria.

The tension-easing love song hits all the right sticky-sweet notes, painting a picture of the kind of romance we’d all die to live for. It’s almost cruel how convincing he makes it sound, but with production as polished as this, it’s easy to forgive him. The transcendence in For You isn’t just in the rose-tinted lyricism; it’s in the soaring synths, the cascading melodies, and the way the track sweeps you up in its hazy hues of diehard affection. If For You had any more sheen, it’d risk slipping straight off the airwaves, but as it stands, it’s locked, loaded, and ready to soundtrack every infatuation-fuelled daydream.

With a chart-topping release already under his belt and a history of selling out solo headline shows before most artists even get their foot in the door, Waters clearly isn’t here to fade into the noise.

For You is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lepani sent shockwaves through the pop landscape with his latest single, ‘Y’

Posted on 7 February 2025

Lepani’s latest single, Y, tore down the barricades to the pop pantheon with surges of progressive house energy wrapped around lush melodic hooks. The Fijian-born pop sensation, now freshly based in the UK, delivered a track that pulses with kinetic euphoria.

The transcendence of the tones as Lepani builds up to the drops is only matched by the raw emotion he lays bare across every bassline, as his soulful vocal delivery cuts straight to the marrow.

The self-written and produced track captures Lepani’s eclectic influences—from Daft Punk’s energy to the melodic intimacy of Ed Sheeran—and pushes them through his own visionary lens, resulting in a forward-thinking sound that surges with crossover appeal.

Y doesn’t just flirt with genre conventions; it resets the boundaries with its seamless fusion of progressive house momentum and evocative pop ensuring it leaves its mark not only in the charts but also in the sonic fabric of modern pop.

Lepani’s artistry reflects a deep need to interpret and connect with the world around him. After conquering the New Zealand music scene—where he performed alongside heavyweights like Stan Walker and won ‘Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist’ at the NZ Pacific Music Awards in 2021—Lepani has set his sights on global dominance. Now an independent artist, he’s in the process of rebranding and refining his style, making Y the perfect prelude to his next chapter.

For fans of Khalid, Lauv, and Jon Bellion, Lepani is one to watch

Stream Y on all major platforms, including Spotify, from February 7th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A Liminal Light: Laurent Iacomucci’s Entrancing EDM score, ‘Monsters’, Defies the Darkness

Posted on 31 January 2025
Laurent Iacomucci

From the first tentatively diaphanous chords in Laurent Iacomucci’s entrancing EDM score, Monsters, you’re submerged into reflective submission. When the ethereal vocals enter and bleed even more emotion into the evocatively structured arrangement, your soul would have to be defunct not to feel the weight of the release, which lightens with the first iridescent build in the EDM pop production.

By choosing nuance over extremes, Laurent Iacomucci visualises the concept that we’re all trailed by shadows which haunt us, but what truly matters is whether we accept them and confront them instead of living a life of introspective persecution.

As the first single from the Luxembourg-based artist and producer’s debut LP, Chasing Monsters, ‘Monsters’ sets the tone for a collection of tracks that explores the universality of the struggles we face, the shadows we chase, and the hope that keeps us moving forward.

The emotional potency in ‘Monsters’ resonates through the subtle ebb and flow of the melodic transitions, making it impossible to ignore the confessional quality that underpins each verse and build.

Monsters will be available to stream on all major platforms from January 31st. Find your preferred way to listen via this link.

Follow Laurent Iacomucci on Instagram to stay up to date with all their latest releases.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Like an intravenous shot of adrenaline to the rhythmic pulses, MAEVE’s dance-pop anthem, Secret Places, is a kinetic tour de force

Posted on 23 January 2025

If the placid pop trend is leaving you uninspired, MAEVE’s latest single, Secret Places, shatters that monotony. The progressive dance-pop anthem, laced with ecstasy and unapologetically empowering lyricism, pulses with the kind of energy that could send a dancefloor into a frenzy. Listening solo? You can still expect sharp shocks of electricity to the soul and senses.

Each drop in the track feels like a rush of pure euphoria, perfectly tailored to sync with your heartbeat. Short of injecting adrenaline directly into your rhythmic pulses, there’s no better high than cranking up the volume on this perennial pop earworm.

At just 21, Maeve is already carving out her own path as a multi-genre artist. Originally from Massachusetts and now calling Miami home, her powerhouse vocals and sharp-witted lyrical chops reflect the influence of artists like Lorde, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus. With roots in pop, folk, RnB, and country, her versatility fuels the authenticity of her sound. As a student at the prestigious Frost School of Music, she’s mastered the art of fusing vulnerability with a sense of empowerment, creating tracks that resonate with intensity.

Secret Places is a testament to her high-energy ethos and exploratory spirit. The track is swathed with self-confidence and clarity, embodying Maeve’s belief in embracing life’s challenges and carving out new beginnings.

Secret Places is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Duane Harden conquered the pop scene with Blind (Pop Life Mix)

Posted on 11 December 2024

After carving a legacy in the confines of the house music scene, Duane Harden has proven his mettle as a pop icon in the making with ‘Blind (Pop Life Remix)’.

Euphoria pulses through the intro, carried by shimmering new wave synths that ignite a rush of sonic exhilaration. As the melodies gain momentum, Harden’s mastery of interwoven complexity becomes unmistakable. This is not the work of an artist content with formulaic hits; instead, Harden layers raw emotion, kinetic energy, and rich textures into his production, crafting an anthem that resonates with bittersweet authenticity.

The track pulls listeners into a trap-tinged world of naïve desire, where the longing to escape emotional vulnerability is laid bare against the Latino guitars and disco-pinched grooves. With each progression, Harden’s hooks tighten their grip, drawing you deeper into the duality of aching euphoria and scarred sentimentality.

By refusing to paint within the lines, Blind (Pop Life Mix) cements Harden’s place as a multifaceted artist capable of shifting seamlessly between genres while delivering emotive, high-energy productions. For his 81k monthly listeners and beyond, this track is an invitation to revel in the alchemy of pop at its most sincere and unflinching.

Be a part of the hype by hitting play on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Theo Lucas Shook Up Progressive House Pop with a Splash of Summer with ‘Sunset Martinis’

Posted on 24 August 2024

For his latest release, Sunset Martinis, the South London-based, Cypriot queer artist, Theo Lucas, hooked up with the multiplatinum DJ and producer, Lorenzo Cosi to drop the hedonistically hot EDM anthem of the summer.

By putting his own spin on progressive house with intersections of hyper-pop, Lucas crafted a track as intoxicating as the cocktail referenced in the title. The electrifying momentum seamlessly transitions into melodiously sensuous pre-choruses, efficaciously building intensity and anticipation before the bass drops, resulting in installations of pure euphoria.

The sticky-sweet vocal lines can sugar the pill of any hangover; by charging his vocal performance in the earworm with sincerity, it is clear that if Theo Lucas gets any hotter, he’s going to contribute to global warming.

In Sunset Martinis, Theo also embraces his queer identity and Cypriot roots, infusing them into his music with authentic flair as he lyrically compares his lover to Aphrodite, drawing on rich mythological imagery to celebrate love and beauty in its many forms.

So much more than a hit-maker, Theo Lucas is lighting a beacon for diversity and inclusion; his passion for advocacy shines through his work, which has seen him perform everywhere from London Pride to Westminster Abbey. Watch this proverbial space.

Sunset Martinis was officially released on August 15; stream the single now on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MrrrDaisy delivered haunting harmonies and fierce fidelity in ‘Echoes of You

Posted on 28 April 2024

’MrrrDaisy may not be one of the most prolific artists of his generation, but when he does drop a track, he makes a profound impact. With his latest single, Echoes of You, which follows a year-long sabbatical, the Ghanaian-Spanish artist and producer pulled his fans into the spectral shadow side of dance-pop.

As haunting as a Portishead release, as euphorically elemental as a Kygo anthem, there’s an affecting parallel of dualism running through the fierily lush veins of the single which marks a departure from the artist’s overt yet distinct Afrobeat style.

The energy brought by the big bass-swathed beats and stabbing horns may be colossal, yet the vocals match it by seamlessly evolving from a smoky hell-hath-no-fury timbre to vulnerable delicacy to a stridency that belies the vocal style.

Despite the short duration, the affecting aura of the bitter-sweet song endures. The exposition on how memories linger as shadows couldn’t be closer to the mark. For anyone who knows how it feels to find the spectres of lost love everywhere, there are swathes of catharsis to be found in Echoes of You.

Echoes of You was officially released on April 18; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ToleX unveiled a fiery reckoning with their hell-hath-no-fury poetic epiphany of an EDM release, Cry Baby

Posted on 14 April 2024

ToleX’s EDM-Chill Step hybrid, Cry Baby, dropped on April Fool’s Day to prove they’re nobody’s fool in the searing indictment of post-breakup epiphanies. Even with the catharsis of the Chill-Step aesthetics, it hits with the force of a hurricane.

From the opening artillery of lyrics, ToleX sets the stage for a raw, unfiltered dive into the emotional abyss left in the wake of lost love. The poetic justice in the lines “It shouldn’t have to be until I leave to make you love me”, and “It shouldn’t have to be the memories that makes you miss me,” doesn’t just create a haunting reminder of love taken for granted; the introspection filters the enraging phenomenon through a brand-new lens.

But Cry Baby is more than a mere lament; it’s a battle cry wrapped in a rhythm. The female vocals, draped over ToleX’s fiery beats, serve as a siren song, luring listeners into a whirlpool of raw emotion and unapologetic truth-telling, resulting in a sonic uprising against the all-too-common narrative of love appreciated too late.

ToleX doesn’t just push boundaries; they incinerate them, offering a track that’s as much a balm for the scorned as it is a wake-up call for the complacent. Cry Baby is a musical inferno, burning away the clichés of heartbreak songs to reveal a core of fierce honesty and emotional depth. This isn’t just another break-up anthem; it’s a revolutionary redefinition of what it means to turn heartache into art.

Stream the single on all major platforms including Amazon Music and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

We Architects Synthesised the Sound of Summer with their Progressive House Pop Hit, Light Blue Skies

Posted on 3 April 2024

If your climate isn’t giving you the feel of summer, tune into the sound of it with the seminal progressive house pop single, Light Blue Skies by the cousin duo, We Architects, who have become infamous since their 2014 debut for their infusions of contemporary pop and tropical beach vibes. The stellar production will whisk you away on a holiday you never knew you were going on.

After racking up almost a million streams on Spotify alone, this single which oscillates with serotonin and soul, has become a staple of many who love the anticipation of sun-soaked hedonism and the core memories that follow sticky sweet escapades in the sun.

We Architects gave the progressions superlative intuition by knowing exactly where to take you to ensure you’re always led to euphoria. The rapture in the polished instrumentals juxtaposes the vocal lines which carry a melancholic sting while vibrantly celebrating the sanctity of summer, making them a perfect addition to the emotion-rich production which reaches the epitome of infectious stridency.

Stream Light Blue Skies on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast