Adrian Lux bids to join Swedish royalty on debut album

Sweden has already delivered its share of EDM titans in the form of Avicii, Eric Prydz and of course the Swedish House Mafia, but this month Stockholm-based Adrian Lux makes his own pitch to join their royal ranks, with the release of his self-titled debut album on Ultra Records.

Lux grabbed everyone’s attention last year with his sublime crossover smash Teenage Crime, a track embraced as much by rock fans as it was by the DJ elite like David Guetta, Tiësto and Sander van Doorn, among others. Luckily, fans can expect more dance-pop excellence on Adrian Lux.

Anyone who’s also in love with the seductive sounds of Avicii and the Mafia will find themselves in familiar territory here – the classic grooves of house, intertwined with the exhilarating melodies of trance. What separates Lux from his compatriots though is how hard he works to find those genuine pop hooks, and he demonstrates a real knack for songwriting that gels perfectly with the album’s guest vocalists.

Teenage Crime sounds as good as ever, the crux of its appeal lying in Lux’s masterful fusion of indie rock and dancefloor bliss - a melancholic acoustic guitar gently leading into that unforgettable lyrical refrain. “We don't sleep when the sun goes down, we don't waste no precious time… All my friends in the loop, making up for teenage crime.”

The blissful female vocals make a welcome return on tracks like Weekend Heroes and Can’t Sleep, while Lux comes bolting out of the gate on the opening track with the powerhouse melodies of "Burning Up". He drops the tempo on "All I Ever Wanted" to melancholic Brit-pop, before throwing back a few surprises tailored cleverly for the dancefloor. Elsewhere, "Silence" is an anthem that’ll surely find a place in the record box of the Swedish House Mafia themselves.

Anyone who loved Teenage Crime can expect more of the same here, and while nothing quite matches the dizzying heights of that tune, it's packed with pop-infused bangers that suggest Lux might just have what it takes to be inducted into the Swedish Royal Family.

Buy on Beatport.

Written by: Angus Thomas Paterson