For those who follow left-of-centre pop, electronic music and adventurous club sounds, C2C Festival has long been one of the most exciting festivals in Europe. We went last year, and the experience confirmed what the line-up already suggested: this is a festival with a real point of view. It knows how to bring together big names, cult favourites and more experimental artists without making the programme feel random.

Among the new additions, The Avalanches are one of the biggest surprises. The Australian group, known for their sample-heavy, emotional collages, will play the opening night at OGR Torino. Their appearance comes as they are teasing their next chapter, following their 2020 album We Will Always Love You. And their recent single “Together,” featuring Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza, and Prentiss, got us particularly excited.

Shygirl is another major addition. The London artist, who has become one of the most exciting voices in electronic pop, mixing club music, grime, R&B, hip hop and hyperpop, will perform in Italy for the very first time.

The announcement also brings Smerz back to the festival. Loyal readers will know that we have been following the Norwegian duo since “Because” in 2016. Their album Big City Life was one of last year’s most significant records, and they were also one of our highlights of the festival last year. In 2026, the duo will perform at Teatro Carignano for a special matinée. This is also one of the key pieces of news from the announcement: the historic Turin venue returns to the programme for the first time in eleven years.

Also joining the bill are Grouper, the much-loved project of Liz Harris, whose intimate ambient folk should make for one of the most beautiful moments of the closing day; ML Buch, one of the most interesting names from the new CPH scene; and Elias Rønnenfelt, frontman of Iceage, who arrives after a very prolific period including his solo album Speak Daggers and lucre, a collaborative project with Dean Blunt that was one of favourite releases of 2025.

C2C Festival 2026 will run from Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November. Tickets via DICE.

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

For its 25th anniversary, C2C Festival in Turin has just unveiled the first names of its 2026 line-up and, honestly, there’s no doubt why this festival is considered one of the best in Europe. Headlining this first wave: Robyn, Oklou, Arca, Kelela, Chanel Beads, Joanne Robertson, underscores, Yung Lean & Bladee, BADBADNOTGOOD, Theo Parrish, Crystallmess, KMRU, Chuquimamani-Condori… and this is only the beginning.

We were in Turin last year for the festival, and we can say it without hesitation: this is probably the best place for avant-pop and future-leaning indie music. The curation is on another level. The crowd is international, curious, and deeply tuned in. And the music selection really fits those brutalist, industrial venues.

From October 29 to November 1, 2026, during Turin’s Contemporary Art Week, the C2C Festival will once again turn the city into a global capital of next-gen sound. The full programme is still to come. The Super Early Bird tickets are already sold out, but a new wave of Early Bird passes (limited quantity) will go on sale Wednesday, Feb 4 at 12:00 via DICE.

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

We know these lists are completely subjective and that ranking music can feel a little weird at times but these are the records we’ve had on repeat over the past 12 months. More importantly, in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, highlighting lesser-known and often overlooked artists remains the very essence of our blog. We hope you’ll take the time to dive into the artists and projects you might not know yet.

Like last year, the list is ordered alphabetically, because the “real” ranking changes every day depending on our mood. That said, if you’re looking for a top three, keep an eye on Oklou, Nourished By Time, and Smerz.

Merry Christmas to all of you, and stay tuned next week for our Best Songs of 2025 list.

The 47 EPs, Albums, And Mixtapes that defined 2025 according to HighClouds

Acopia – Blush Response
Addison Rae – Addison
After – After EP 1/2
AMORE – Top Hits, Ballads, etc
Annahstasia – Tether
crushed – no scope
Dean Blunt & Elias Rønnenfelt – lucre EP
deer park – Terra Infirma
Disiniblud – Disiniblud
Erika de Casier – Lifetime
Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You
FKA Twigs – Eusexua
Georgie & Joe – What I Made With Joe
Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On
Ichiko Aoba – Luminiscent Creatures
JADE – THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!
james K – Friend
Jane Inc. – A Rupture A Canyon A Birth
Jenny Hval – Iris Silver Mist
Jim Legxacy – black british music (2025)
Joanne Robertson – Blurrr
Jouska – How Did I Wind Up Here?
Laura Groves – Yes
Lipsticism – Wanted To Show You
Malibu – Vanities
Maria Somerville – Luster
Marina Zispin – Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
Men I Trust – Equus Caballus / Equus Asinus
Molly Nilsson – Amateur
Neggy Gemmy – She Comes From Nowhere
Night Tapes – portals//polarities
No Joy – Bugland
Nourished By Time – The Passionate Ones
Nuovo Testamento – Trouble EP
Oklou – Choke Enough
Oneohtrix Point Never – Tranquilizer
Panda Bear – Sinister Grift
Pearly Drops – The Voices Are Coming Back
R. Missing – Like The Sound Of Injured Love
Raisa K – Affectionately
Rat Heart – Dancin’ In The Streets
Sea Lemon – Diving For A Prize
Smerz – Big City Life
snuggle – Goodbyehouse
Sofia Kourtesis – Volver EP
Sophia Stel – How To Win At Solitaire EP
Yawning Portal – Anywhere

“choke enough is a very intense album for me,” she stated. “It’s filled with directions, tentatives and irregularities, reflecting on my last years on this planet as my heart and conscience has really decentered from myself.”

So far, Oklou has treated us to “family and friends,” “obvious,” and “harvest sky.” Alongside the album announcement, she shared today the ethereal title track, “choke enough,” as well as her thoughts on the release: “This title track is important enough to have been chosen as the title track. Not sure whether it’s because it’s one of the oldest sounds of the record, or simply my favorite? Maybe it’s because it holds an important question that I’m trying to display within the entire album; what situations are we ready to put ourselves into in order to provoke sensations and drama, in order to feel alive.”

Tracklist: oklou – choke enough

1. endless
2. thank you for recording
3. family and friends
4. obvious
5. ict
6. choke enough
7. (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)
8. take me by the hand feat. Bladee
9. plague dogs
10. forces
11. harvest sky feat. underscores
12. want to want to come back
13. blade bird

Catch oklou on tour:

Europe
2/25/25 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega Main Hall – VENUE UPGRADE
2/27/25 – Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Theatre – SOLD OUT
3/1/25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg – SOLD OUT
3/2/25 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
3/4/25 – Paris, France @ La Cigale – SOLD OUT
3/5/25 – Paris, France @ La Cigale
3/7/25 – London, UK @ Heaven

North America
3/18/25 – Toronto, Canada @ Axis Club
3/19/25 – Montreal, Canada @ Le Studio TD
3/21/25 – New York, NY @ Elsewhere – SOLD OUT
3/22/25 – New York, NY @ Elsewhere – NEW DATE
3/24/25 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
3/25/25 – Austin, TX @ 3Ten ACL Live
3/28/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
3/29/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent

Today, Oklou just dropped two fresh tracks: “harvest sky” with underscores, and “obvious,” with production help from Danny L Harle, Casey MQ, and Nick Leon. “harvest sky” kicks off with a trancey melody before exploding into a big room anthem, while “obvious” leans into her signature airy, spacious vibes.

Oklou shares her thoughts on the new singles: “‘harvest sky’ is probably my third attempt to talk about a thing that happens at times during festivities; zoom out from the crowd and enter a lonely mental space. ‘obvious’ has got many names in the past, but I love this one cause this track feels very close to what defines a special tone in my music, in a core-ish way. It also talks about something dear to my heart: music vs words.”

Alongside this double single, she has also announced a tour spanning North America and Europe. Listen to the tracks and check the full itinerary below.

Oklou on tour
2/25/25 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ DR Koncerthuset Studio 2
2/27/25 – Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Theatre
3/1/25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
3/2/25 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
3/4/25 – Paris, France @ La Cigale
3/7/25 – London, UK @ Heaven
3/18/25 – Toronto, Canada @ Axis Club
3/19/25 – Montreal, Canada @ Le Studio TD
3/21/25 – New York, NY @ Elsewhere
3/24/25 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
3/25/25 – Austin, TX @ 3Ten ACL Live
3/28/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
3/29/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Independent

Like every year, our team vote for their favourite tracks of the year. You can stream this list, as well as other tracks that were close to entering the top, via our Spotify and Apple Music playlists below. You can also check our Best Albums and Best EPs/Mixtapes of 2020.

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50. Julia-Sophie – “x0x”

49. Blue Hawaii – “Not my Boss!”

48. Zelma Stone – “Fly”

47. Young Ejecta – “Crayon Cactus”

46. Sedona – “Crying On My Own”

45. Zoee – “Rio’s”

44. Prince Innocence – “Angelyne”

43. Laura Groves – “Foolish Games”

42. Cindy Lee – “I Want You To Suffer”

41. Lido Pimienta- “Eso Que Tu Haces”

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40. Jayda G – “Both Of Us”

39. NNAMDÏ – “Perfect In My Mind”

38. Lomelda – “Hannah Sun”

37. Braids – “Young Buck”

36. Against All Logic, Estado Unido, FKA Twigs – “Alucinao”

35. oklou – “unearth me”

34. Kate NV – “Sayonara”

33. Agar Agar – “Nap”

32. Annie – “The Streets Where I Belong”

31. Beadadoobee – “Worth it”

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30. TOPS – “I Feel Alive”

29. Yves Tumor – “Gospel For A New Century”

28. Dua Lipa – “Physical”

27. Cakes da Killa, Proper Villains – “Don Dada”

26. Namasenda – “Wanted”

25. Ultraflex – “Never Forget My Baby”

24. Shamir – “On My Own”

23. Discovery Zone – “Dance II”

22. Couch Prints – “Of Drawing”

21. Nilüfer Yanya – “Crash”

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20. Cindy – “2y & 6m”

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19. Bullion – “We Had A Good Time”

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18. Kelly Lee Owens – “Melt!”

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17. Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song”

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16. Waxahatchee – “Can’t Do Much”

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15. Maria Minerva – “Apology”

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14. Shygirl – “FREAK”

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13. Jónsi, Robyn – “Salt Licorice”

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12. Perfume Genius – “On The Floor”

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11. Ela Minus – “Megapunk”

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10. Romy – “Lifetime”

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9. SAULT – “Wildfires”

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8. Soccer Mommy – “circle the drain”

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7. Eartheater – “Below The Clavicle”

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6. Helena Deland – “Comfort, Edge”

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5. Fiona Apple – “I Want You To Love Me”

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4. Charli XCX – “Forever”

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3. Dehd – “Loner”

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2. Christine and the Queens – “People, I’ve Been Sad”

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1. 070 Shake – “Guilty Conscience”