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.

For longtime fans, the song might ring a bell. “Blow My Mind” originally appeared on Robyn’s 2002 album Don’t Stop The Music, but the 2026 version comes back faster, rawer and with entirely new meaning. The beat is sick. This time, the electro funk track is inspired by her three year old son. Robyn explained that she revisited the song during a period when she was constantly by his side: “I was in that early stage when I was with him all the time, and something about that closeness opened the song up to me again. Listening back to the original I thought, ‘I think it’s one of the best songs I ever recorded, and I’m just gonna do it again.’ I rewrote the lyrics and I love this version’s rawness.” The updated lyrics capture the intense emotions of early motherhood, with lines about “unconditional naked devotion” and “your unbearably cute scrumptious little face.” Yet she insists the feeling goes deeper than sweetness: “It’s not cute, because it’s not cute with children. They’re cute, but the experience isn’t. It’s very punk.” On social media she described it as “Messy sensations, contradicting and fighting for attention, CUTE AGGRESSION, total devotion… this time it’s about my son’s tiny soft hands with nails sharp as knifes.”

Hearing this rework feels especially personal to me. Back in 2002 I was already a big Robyn fan, watching the video clip of “Keep This Fire Burning” every morning before heading to school. So seeing “Blow My Mind,” from the same record, come back to life more than two decades later, transformed by a whole new chapter in her life, makes this release feel particularly special. My life has also changed a lot in twenty four years, not gonna lie. But I will never be as cool as Robyn. Listen below.

Now that energy spills into the remix itself. Arca takes “Sexistential” and pushes it further into club territory, bending its emotional core into something stranger, darker, and more physical. She threads in her own vocals too, turning the track into a dialogue rather than a straightforward rework. It feels less like a remix and more like an alternate dimension of the song.

And this collaboration might not stay confined to our headphones. Both Robyn and Arca are set to headline C2C Festival in Turin in 2026. If we’re lucky, maybe this remix will make its way onto the stage when they’re both there. Fingers crossed.

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.

To celebrate the news, Robyn has shared two new songs that sketch out the album’s emotional spectrum. “Talk To Me” is such a synth-pop bop: immediate, pulsating, and impossible not to move to. It also comes with an amazing Casper Sejersen-directed video. On the other end, “Sexistential,” the album’s title track, leans into more experimental electronic territory, reminiscent of tracks such as “Don’t tell me what to do”.

As the Swedish popstar puts it: “Exploring my sensual life is the same feeling as when I make a good song. It’s such a beautiful kind of sensitive vibration that takes so much work to keep afloat. I feel like the purpose of my life is to stay horny – it doesn’t even have to be about sex, but it’s feeling sensual and attracted to things that I enjoy, and not letting anything take over that.” The two tracks follow the previously released single “Dopamine,” which ended up on our Best Songs of 2024 list.

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

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”

Swedish pop star Robyn has just shared a video for her Joseph Mount-produced song “Ever Again,” which is one of the highlights of her amazing album Honey. Directed by Colin Solal Cardo, the visuals feature Greco-Roman sculptures reminding the staging of her current live shows. According to the artist, the sensual and glorious video takes place in “a dreamy place, somewhere undefined, somewhere in my unconsciousness.” The costumes are courtesy of Nicolas Ghesquiere for Louis Vuitton. Watch below.

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