supi's reviews

5. dj sabrina the teenage dj - fantasy

the year wouldnt be complete if we didnt get a multi-hour house project from dj sabrina the teenage dj. while ive known about their music for a while, and ive been meaning to listen to makin magic, i decided to make this my first dj sabrina album when i noticed it dropped. given that this album is only a couple weeks old as of writing, and also its four hour runtime, its the only album on the list that i havent listened to multiple time all the way through. still, i have no doubt ill be playing many of these tracks over and over for a while.

fantasy is four hours of joy, warmth, and optimism in house form. right from the couple minutes of "all these years" this album quickly establishes its approach to music. these tracks are thoroughly saturated and packed with layers of instrumentation, including instrumentation you wouldnt expect to find in this genre. youll be getting plenty of synths, saxophones, guitars (acoustic and distorted), keyboards of any kind you can think of, hell i think i heard a fiddle and a pedal steel on "tres cool (welcome home) pt 2." this timbral variety helps keep the album from feeling too samey, which makes quite a difference in an album this long, and makes the whole of the album feel very vibrant. this vibrancy also carries into the more lowkey tracks, like "nevr 2 l8," a personal highlight of mine. dj sabrina also rarely leaves you without some sort of vocal sample, melodic or not (but usually melodic), to the point that these songs start to feel more poppy than a lot of other music of its genre. they cite 2000s pop music as being an influence and it shows. i will say, it can still get a little repetitive, especially if you try to listen through the whole album in one day (i would know from experience), but even if a full listen seems intimidating, there are plenty of gems to be found here.

listen if you like: daft punk's first two albums, 2000s disney channel sitcoms, sunshine

4. gelli haha - switcheroo

one day while scrolling through the front page of rym, i saw this bizarre ass cover staring at me, and i knew right then and there that i had to know what this album sounds like. despite this record being the first (but hopefully not the last) under the gelli haha alias, she's been quite the modest success, and now apparently she's gonna be opening for magdalena bay, a match made in heaven. switcheroo maybe doesnt completely fit the label of 'edm' but i mean, its music, it has a focus on electronics, and this brand of bouncy, delightfully off-kilter synth pop is certainly dancable, so i say it counts.

the production here takes clear influence from italo-disco, most evident on songs like "funny music" and "gelliverse" which for the most part only add to the oddball feeling of the project and makes it all feel cohesive. gelli's vocal performances are pretty good (although the shrillness of "tiramisu" has always been a turn-off for me), but they seemingly always get a supporting role in the mix, as the layers of effects make it fairly hard to actually hear what she's saying. i get this is a problem for some, but i think it works excellently here, as it shifts focus onto some of the most memorable parts of these songs. the simple yet effective bassline of "spit," the kraftwerk-esque synth melodies on "funny music," the percussive groove of "normalize" (a song which has been on the front page of this website since its inception), the arpeggio chords in "bounce house," and the sheer everything-ness of "pluto is not a planet its a restaurant." all of these catchy little pieces in such a short runtime made this one of my most replayed albums of the year. also please check out these music videos, theyre insane and i love them.

listen if you like: 80s synth pop, the circus, primary colors

3. galen tipton - the death of music

i dont remember how i found this but im almost certain this is another one i checked out because of the cover. can you blame me? out of all these artists, galen tipton is the one i know the least about, other than the fact that shes trans because, with love and some personal experience, of course the weird club album is made by a transfem. if any of her other work sounds like this ill definitely have to keep listening, because despite the terrifying exterior, this album was surprisingly accessible and very, very fun to listen to.

dj galen seems to have a fascination with thoroughly chopped up, practically mangled vocal samples. "real bodies" is probably the prime example to me, being practically the only prominent thing in the mix for much of the song aside from the drums and bass. speaking of, im having trouble coming up with many other albums with more aggressive kick drums. seriously, they will pummel you at times. i saw autechre in concert this year, and those kick drums sounded like gunshots during some sections. id say its comparable to that. but dont assume that a strong beat and incomprehensible vocals are all this album has going for it. as the record progresses, dj galen adds more and more emphasis on these gorgeous, gentle pads that do a lot of work in setting each track's tone, and when she strips back the drums and gives the other elements some breathing room, it can get truly beautiful. "born a star" is so thoroughly heightened by this, on top of it being an absolute banger from a solely percussive angle. not to mention, this whole album flows together wonderfully if you listen in one unbroken sitting, only making it feel more like a journey. every aspect culminates in the title track, which is the longest song by far, in that its a bit over 4 minutes. something about this track is addictive, and every time i listen to it, i just wanna hear the whole project over again. i have a feeling that i will be doing that a lot.

listen if you like: club music, kick drums, whatever this album cover is

2. pinkpantheress - fancy that

ok i know this maybe shouldnt count, since its technically a mixtape, and also only 20 minutes, but despite its short runtime, pinkpantheress fits so many great tunes that i feel completely satiated by the end. between her fantastic sense of melody, a soundscape that feels so nostalgic for the 2000s, and rapid fire delivery, everything comes together to create one of the most energetic and infectious releases of the year.

no song retreads ground, but rather they all expand on the vibe of the project. "illegal" might be the purest party song, with its airy synth and 808s that i would love to hear fill up a venue. its momentum is effortlessly carried into "girl like me" with its catchy "let it all go" refrain. on the other hand, "tonight" counterbalances that bouncy energy with a lowkey and almost sensual dance track. however, for me, this mixtape really shines in its second half. "stateside" presents maybe the catchiest chorus in the tracklist, which on this record is certainly a feat. meanwhile, i know noises is one of the least enjoyed songs here, but im a sucker for drum and bass so its frankly one of my highlights. but if theres one thing i cant resist on this record, its the strings. my two favorite tracks here have to be "nice to know you" and especially "romeo." the latter was stuck in my head for what felt like months after i first heard it, and i think the chorus is another great example of pink's ear for infectious melodies. thats the thing with this mixtape: every single song feels like a standout in some way, hence why it feels so fulfilling to listen to despite its tiny length. also, fun music fact: "illegal" samples "dark & long" by underworld, and then in underworld's boiler room set later this year, they sampled "illegal" while playing "dark & long." wow so cool!

listen if you like: uk dance pop, y2k, buttercup from the powerpuff girls

1. ninajirachi - i love my computer

surprise! bet you werent expecting to see ninajirachi on a list of edm girlies in 2025! really though, her massive success this year is incredibly justified. i love my computer is not just a cash-in on the trend towards early 2010s nostalgia. not only does she pay tribute to artists of that time, id go as far as to say she outdoes a lot of them, and the result is a record i cannot stop thinking about, let alone listening to.

my introduction to this album was clicking through the full album visualizer, listening to a minute of "its you," and instantly being hooked. is it cheesy? sure. but its a banger, with its aggressive bass and anthemic chorus feeling reminiscent of some of justice's best stuff. still, its unfortunate that i didnt start with "london song" because that sets the stage perfectly in that pounding beat and little in the way of harmonic instruments, aside from the bass. the end of that song jumps straight into "ipod touch," maybe the catchiest song here, and also a very heartfelt one lyrically. nina may not be a poet, but she speaks very earnestly, as here she reflects on how the technology of her youth shaped her memories. on the other hand, "infohazard" shares experiences of being exposed to really heinous shit because of the internet. its certainly quite the relatable experience as someone whos not much younger than her. then theres "fuck my computer," the song about how ninajirachi wants to fuck her computer. its my favorite song on the entire album, and im asexual so you know it has to be an absolute banger. from the moment i heard those vocal chops in the second verse i knew this album was gonna be special, not to mention the careful combination between glitchy weirdness and a danceable beat in the drops. "csirac" throws that balance out the window, playing with bursts of noise and somehow turning that into a very catchy and danceable track. this trailblazing first half closes with "delete" which feels like "fuck my computer" but poppier, which means that i really like it.

"all i am" opens with, of all things, an acoustic guitar passage that builds up to a classic electro-house beat. its only sin is that it teases a key change at the end. i want to hear that key change so bad. the aforementioned "infohazard" is not only one of the most lyrically interesting tracks here has also probably become one of the fan favorites, and with a drop like that i cant blame anyone. also, "battery death" is literally dubstep. massive respect to anyone who can get general audiences to listen to dubstep in 2025. the album closes with something of a recap, sorta reminiscent of "365" from last year's charli xcx album. it might be my least favorite track here but it didnt come close to stopping this album from becoming a personal favorite of the decade for me, not to mention many others who arent even necessarily into edm. that just goes to show: you need to listen to this.

listen if you like: brat by charli xcx, youtube circa 2011, wired earbuds