Steve Angello has been around in the dance music scene for a long ass time now… 15 years to be exact. But hearing his first solo album since Swedish House Mafia‘s dissolution, Wild Youth, you will be amazed at how relevant the 33-year-old DJ/producer sounds.
The Swede spent 3 years composing and producing this 12-track experience, and every aspect is of the highest quality. The sound design & engineering, unparalleled. The cohesiveness of the dozen-piece LP and variance between tracks manages to intrigue the listener from the start, and keep them engrossed throughout as well. A feat last accomplished in electronic dance music, in my eyes, by Madeon‘s Adventure.
Decidedly introspective, the distinct lack of major euphoric chords throughout an overwhelming majority of the album might disappoint some who were hoping for Galantis-style progressive anthems. As a direct result, you probably won’t hear any of these tracks at the main stage in their original form this coming festival season; but the experience it promises for Angello’s sure-to-come Wild Youth tour is indubitably worth it for true fans.
Akin to Zedd‘s True Colors, this is not meant to further promote platinum-selling hits that rack up hundreds of millions of plays, but rather to speak truly of Angello’s personal experience and musical heritage. Wild Youth accomplishes this with exceptional grace and a hearty dose of humility.
Stream Wild Youth by Steve Angello below and download it here now.