His incredible skill shines bright through 13 songs on the album alongside voices new and old to him. It features Dua Lipa, PinkPantheress, Clairo, Caroline Polachek, Oklou & MNEK, Julia Michaels, Kacha (from the electro-pop group Coals) and even one of his own daughters.

Harle, aka “Huge Danny,” considers Cerulean to be his true debut album, following up his 2021 release of Harlecore, and is promoting it as his most definitive artistic statement to date. The album does sound like it comes from another world full of sounds that are certainly welcome to human ears here. “I love how it feels on the threshold between dreams and reality,” said Harle. “There can be a scene where there’s nothing alien in it, but it feels like a portal to something else.”

Cerulean feels like the next natural chapter in Harle’s storied career, which began in the 2010s when he emerged from the PC Music collective and went on to work with some of the biggest names in pop including Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, FKA Twigs, Florence and The Machine and many of the voices featured on the album.

Check out the full album film, out via NTS YouTube, and tour dates below.

Danny L Harle – LIVE DATES
Feb. 13* – London, UK – HERE at Outernet
Feb. 14* – Manchester, UK – New Century
Feb. 15* – Glasgow, UK – The Art School
Feb. 19* – Paris, France – La Gaîté Lyrique
Feb. 20* – Dublin, Ireland – The Button Factory
Feb. 21* – Berlin, Germany – Säälchen
Feb. 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
Mar. 3 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
* = with Lauren Duffus

True to the HighClouds spirit, we’ve once again tried to shine a light on overlooked releases and new or under-the-radar artists alongside some more familiar names. And yes… for the second year the same artist is topping our Best Songs list. At this point, it’s safe to say we’re obsessed. All of the tracks featured here (and many others) are also gathered in our Spotify playlist, that you can find below.

Thank you for reading, listening, and sharing music with us throughout 2025. We wish you a beautiful end of the year, and we’ll be back very soon in 2026 to share even more amazing music with you.

60 Avalon – Harder To Reach Than God
59 Farao – Waiting for You
58 Reggie Devoyage – Down Town
57 Nuovo Testamento – Picture Perfect
56 Yumi Zouma – Drag
55 Boyhood – A Grand Time
54 Danny L Harle; Caroline Polachek – Azimuth
53 Fernette – Lowlands
52 Jouska – Season of Dread
51 Charli xcx – Chains of Love

50 Pearly Drops – End Credits
49 Marina Zispin – Penthouse Samba
48 Boyish – Jumbos
47 Sword II – Sugarcane
46 TOPS – Chlorine
45 Robyn – Dopamine
44 The Deep – KPOP B!TCH
43 Juliana Madrid – Jamie
42 Men I Trust – Come Back Down
41 R. Missing – Telepolartears

40 Jenny Hval – The artist is absent – 89 seconds rewrite
39 Fontaines D.C. – Before You I Just Forget
38 hemlocke springs – the beginning of the end
37 Sea Lemon – Stay
36 Georgie & Joe – Pacemaker
35 Fine – I could
34 Jessy Lanza – Slapped By My Life
33 Arny Margret – Day Old Thoughts
32 Lipsticism – Erased
31 Clara Kimera; notinbed – angel candles

30 Neggy Gemmy – Mysterious Girl
29 Joanne Robertson; Oliver Coates – Always Were
28 Hannah Jadagu – My Love
27 HTRK – Swimming Pool
26 Night Tapes – television
25 Raisa K – Affectionately
24 helen island – hot zone, regular day
23 Dean Blunt; Elias Rønnenfelt – 1
22 Cole Pulice – After the Rain
21 crushed – starburn

20 AMORE – Delirio
19 Oneohtrix Point Never – Rodl Glide
18 Erika de Casier – Delusional
17 Judeline – chica de cristal
16 Dijon – Yamaha
15 Rochelle Jordan – Ladida
14 PinkPantheress – Illegal
13 Maria Somerville – Garden
12 Ethel Cain – Fuck Me Eyes
11 Sophia Stel – Everyone Falls Asleep In Their Own Time

10 Jim Legxacy – ’06 wayne rooney
9 Magdalena Bay – Human Happens
8 snuggle – Woman Lake
7 Addison Rae – Headphones On
6 After – 300 dreams
5 FKA twigs – Striptease
4 james K – Play
3 Nourished by Time – Max Potential
2 Smerz – You got time and I got money
1 Oklou – blade bird

Now comes a new chapter: “Azimuth.” Danny L Harle’s latest release is a trance-tinged ballad that feels both intimate and monumental, designed entirely around Polachek’s voice. As Harle puts it: “Azimuth’s melody could only have been sung by Caroline, it is designed around her voice, I couldn’t imagine anyone else singing it or giving a performance like that.” The song captures their chemistry at full force, weaving space, silence, and shimmering emotion into something he describes as “despairing but hopeful,” like a hymn for a sunken cathedral dance floor.

Following this summer’s “Starlight” with PinkPantheress, “Azimuth” extends Harle’s return to solo work post-Harlecore. And with these recent drops and signing to XL Recordings, it feels like he might be lining up something bigger…

True Blue is the solo alias of multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Maya Laner. After honing her skills in New York’s vibrant indie scene, Laner gained recognition as True Blue with the singles “Bad Behavior” and “Tell Me Texas,” before following up in 2018 with her debut EP Edge Of. Although they introduce a new sound, her most recent tracks showcase True Blue’s ability to confidently twist pop conventions into fresh new worlds, a mission she also pursues within Caroline Polachek‘s band.

Her ethereal and uplifting new collaboration with producer Yunus Rosenzweig, aka The Bird, also confirms this direction. “Truest of Blues” delves into the complexities of relationships and the enduring quest for redemption. The single is released on the Copenhagen-based label Myra, co-owned by The Bird.

Caroline Polachek, the pop visionary and polymath with an ethereal voice that defies autotune and FX boards – yes, she can even communicate with birds to some extent – recently made a guest appearance on NPR‘s prestigious Tiny Desk Concert. The former member of Chairlift performed four songs (“Pretty In Possible,” “Blood And Butter,” “Sunset,” and “I Believe”) from her fourth album, Desire: I Want to Turn Into You, which is, by the way, one of our favorite records of the year. Enjoy the performance below.

Hey! We made a mixtape with some of our favorite bops of 2023, and we also added a few all-time favorites. Expect some good pop, dance, indie, and more, by the likes of COBRAH, Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX, Automatic, Jessie Ware, Jessy Lanza, Romy, Blue Hawaii… It’s hot, sweaty, euphoric; everything you need to slay this Summer. Enjoy!

Mixed by yours truly.

Listen and check the full tracklist via Mixcloud.

Like every December, we close a year of music with our traditional lists. After the Best Albums and Best EPs and Mixtapes, we’re happy to unveil the songs that made 2019 according to our team. Are these the best releases of the year ? Maybe yes, maybe no. But for sure, they represent what we have loved over the 12 months.

2019 is also the end of a decade and, even if the blog did not exist 10 years ago, we will try to share our favourite tracks of this era during the first quarter of 2020.

Finally, I’d like to mention that HighClouds would not be the same without its team of dedicated writers. People don’t always realize it but running a blog and contributing, even only from time to time, requires a lot of energy on top of your full-time job. So thank you to each of you for this.

And now, here are the 100 tracks of 2019, as well as a huge Spotify playlist to go through our selection and discover some other amazing tracks that almost made the cut this year. Thank you for reading us and see you next decade!

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100. 0171 – “1000 Words”

99. Modern Feelings – “Culture”

98. STAINWASHER – “Joy For Me”

97. Alina Bea – “King of Nothing”

96. Lowly – “baglaens”

95. Yot Club – “no way !”

94. Helado Negro – “Running”

93. BEA1991 – “Did You Feel Me Slip Away?”

92. Deaton Chris Anthony, Clairo, Coco & Clair Clair – “RACECAR”

91. Sandy – “Signals”

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90. Common Holly – “You Dance”

89. Teen Body – “Validation”

88. SOPHIE, Doss – “Whole New World (Sophie and Doss remix)”

87. Emily Reo – “Ghosting”

86. Barrie – “Darjeeling”

85. Caroline Polachek – “Pang”

84. 박혜진 Park Hye Jin – “I DON’T CARE”

83. Kraków Loves Adana – “Follow The Voice”

82. Jessica Pratt – “Aeroplane”

81. Ariel – “Dream Team”

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80. Spellling – “Under The Sun”

79. MUNYA – “It’s All About You”

78. Von – “Dealer’s Gone”

77. Makthaverskan – “Demands”

76. SASSY 009 – “Maybe in the Summer”

75. Jessie Ware – “Adore You”

74. PAT – “Love Will Find a Way Home”

73. XUXA SANTAMARIA – “Rudos Del Mar”

72. Ascendant Vierge – “Influenceur”

71. Thom Yorke – “Dawn Chorus”

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70. Nilüfer Yanya – “Baby Blu”

69. Saeyers – “Cruise”

68. Quinn Christopher – “Erase Me”

67. The Dawdler – “Sylvie”

66. TR/ST – “Iris”

65. Jai Paul – “He”

64. Maria Somerville – “Brighter Days”

63. Morabeza Tobacco – “Orinoco”

62. Eartheater – “Fontanel”

61. Otha – “Tired and Sick”

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60. Eugenia Post Meridiem – “Anjos”

59. Vagabon – “Water Me Down”

58. Lala Lala, WHY? – “Siren 042”

57. Jackie Mendoza – “De Lejos”

56. Dorian Electra – “Flamboyant”

55. Crack Cloud – “The Next Fix”

54. Chromatics – “You’re No Good”

53. Hana Vu – “Order”

52. Magdalena Bay – “Only If You Want It”

51. Ebhoni – “TGM”

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50. Cherushii, Maria Minerva – “A Day Without You”

49. Maluca – “NYC Baby”

48. Tyler, The Creator – “EARFQUAKE”

47. JPEGMAFIA, Helena Deland – “Free The Frail”

46. Blue Hawaii – “Still I Miss U”

45. Oklou – “Forever”

44. Crumb – “Ghostride”

43. Ariana Grande – “NASA”

42. Weyes Blood – “Movies”

41. Pure Bathing Culture – “All Night”

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40. Beauty Queen – “The Only One”

39. Couch Prints – “Tell U”

38. 070 Shake – “Morrow”

37. JORDANN – “Café Speed”

36. Lizzo – “Juice”

35. 100 gecs – “Money Machine”

34. Hand Habits – “can’t calm down”

33. Jenny Hval – “Ashes to Ashes”

32. (Sandy) Alex G – “Gretel”

31. Arlo Parks – “Super Sad Generation”

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30. Grace Ives – “Anything”

29. Burial – “Claustro”

28. Sharon Van Etten – “Seventeen”

27. pronoun – “stay”

26. Requin Chagrin – “Sémaphore”

25. BEA1991 – “My Own Heaven”

24. Billie Eilish – “bad guy”

23. Sorry Girls – “One That You Want”

22. Japan, Man – “Stop Staring”

21. Drauve – “Haunted”

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20. Big Thief – “UFOF”

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19. MUNA – “Number One Fan”

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18. Claud – “Easy”

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17. Danny Brown – “Dirty Laundry”

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16. Angel Olsen – “Lark”

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15. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Want You In My Room”

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14. Caroline Polachek – “Door”

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13. Boy Harsher – “LA”

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12. Magdalena Bay – “Venice”

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11. Erika de Casier – “Do My thing”

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10. Men I Trust – “Numb”

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9. Charlotte Adigéry – “Paténipat”

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8. Σtella – “Samba”

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7. GEORGIA – “About Work The Dancefloor”

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6. Lana Del Rey – “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have”

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5. Aldous Harding – “The Barrel”

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4. Big Thief – “Not”

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3. Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens – “Gone”

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2. FKA twigs – “Cellophane”

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1. Clairo – “Bags”

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Earlier this year, Caroline Polachek made her post-Chairlift debut under her own name with Pang, an excellent solo record that was mainly produced by PC Music‘s alumnus Danny L Harle. One of the highlights of the album, “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings,” has now been remixed by the London label mastermind, A.G. Cook. It’s actually not the first time that the two artists have linked up as Cook produced another track off the project, “Hey Big Eyes,” as well as “Tears,” her collaboration with Charli XCX featured on POP 2.

About this club-ready new version, Cook commented:

[su_quote]The idea was to capture the feeling of being at a Blue Hawaii show, one which constantly tests the limits of a traditional concert. It pushes towards an all out DJ party, but with tons of diva vocals and always with the focus always on having fun and cultivating a positive energy. The audio in the video is a mix of the album recording and live recordings from the saxophone and vocal mics during the release concert in Montreal.[/su_quote]

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If you dig this track, be sure to check our EDGY POPPERS playlist.