Back in November, I was really excited about the track by City of Lights. I wrote it up here and ended with:
‘It sounds like something that one of the big guys like Armin or Zedd would be releasing for the fall season. As a track it?s incredibly strong, but it feels like it?s calling out to have a great topline on top of it. With the title ?City of Lights,? the lyrics are almost in mind as I hear the song play.’
A few months later and the Italian duo Lush & Simon enlisted the vocal talents of XOV. What’s surprising is that they chose such a dark and downbeat vocalist for such an uplifting song. If you listen to XOV’s solo songs like “Lucifer” or “Fireman,” his lyrics come from such a dark place that it make Dido or Lorde seem like they’ve overdosed on happy pills. However the darkness works for the track, and while the lyrics are uplifting his tone and delivery gives it a bit more edge so it doesn’t go saccharine or cheesy. As much as I love the original track, this new vocal version elevates it to a higher level.
As pretty an uplifting as “City of Lights” is, Lush & Simon’s other new single “Hunter” is a much more aggressive electro banger. It’s similar in vibe to their track “Adrenaline” with a touch of old school Chemical Brothers in the mix. It’s easy to see why Nicky Romero signed this to his Protocol label.
With all of these tracks mentioned, and of course the gorgeous “Drag Me To the Ground,” the Italian duo Alessandro Miselli & Simone Pioltelli continue to amass a strong catalog of original productions. They are definitely a team to watch as future superstars.
Images courtesy of Trice and Protocol Recordings.
