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.

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

Jenny Hval, as always, was a master of presence and vulnerability. There was a brief technical hiccup at the start, but once resolved, her voice soared: crystalline, commanding, and deeply human. She reminded everyone why she remains one of the most singular storytellers in avant-pop.

Titanic’s set was unexpectedly uplifting. Intense without being overwhelming, melodic without losing its edge, it carried a sense of clarity and emotion. Fratti’s vocals guided everything forward with precision, turning what could have been an abstract experiment into something that hit straight in the chest. Talking about dreams and emotions, Annahstasia and Malibu were also both absolutely spellbinding.

Isabella Lovestory, probably the poppiest act of the lineup, brought a burst of neon energy. A glitter-streaked continuation of Brat that mixed rave-pop with Latin flair. It was playful, powerful, and completely irresistible. She turned the room into a dance floor, and when Mechatok followed, he twisted that energy into something hazier and harder, yet still threaded with pop echoes. Beneath the pounding beats, you could catch glimmers of Britney and Daft Punk. It was probably the part where we danced the most.

Later during the festival, ECCO2K appeared like a hologram, a faint outline slowly becoming real. The crowd could barely tell when the show began; it felt as if he had always been there, floating between sound and silence. His music, a blend of vaporous vocals and shimmering electronics, seemed to defy gravity. Every pause was electric, every drop a release.

One of the acts we were most excited to see, Nourished By Time, brought everyone right back to Earth. His mix of R&B, post-punk, and synth-pop pulsed with warmth and honesty. Most of the set came from his new album The Passionate Ones, full of songs about love, class, and survival, all wrapped in groove and melancholy. He also played the excellent “Daddy” and “The Fields” from Erotic Probiotic 2. When a sound issue briefly interrupted his set, he handled it with humor and ease, connecting even more with the crowd. At one point, a fan threw a jacket onstage, he laughed, tried it on, and tossed it back.

Another highlight came from Smerz, who performed Big City Life in full. They transformed its fragile beats and whispered vocals into something grand and cinematic. Onstage, they built their own world: minimal lighting, elegant silhouettes, and rhythms that never lost focus. Their harmonies were cold and soft at once, their confidence absolute. Smerz’s music has always lived somewhere between pop and art, but live, it becomes emotional architecture: every sound and movement deliberate, every glance choreographed. It was the most polished moment of the weekend, and a perfect closer.

C2C Festival’s lineup is always impressive, but this year the bar was higher than ever. Across four nights, it offered a rare balance between experimentation and emotion, noise and nuance. The surprise acts at the end of each night — Kode9, Nicolas Jaar, and others — were just the cherry on top.

Here are our top 10 photos from the festival, in no particular order.

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C2C Festival will be back in Turin in 2026, from Thursday the 5th November to Sunday the 8th November.

Their new project, Big city life EDITS, just dropped via Escho, reimagining one of our favourite releases of the year, Big city life. Since the original LP came out in May, we’ve been captivated by the way it captures everyday chaos with a kind of hazy, escapist magic. And spoiler: “You got time and I got money” will most likely rank high on our end-of-year list.

Smerz’s Big city life EDITS invites an impressive lineup of artists, including luminaries Astrid Sonne, Erika de Casier, Clairo, Molina, Fine, Fousheé, ML Buch, Haloplus+, and more, to reinterpret the songs they love. The duo describes the project as a way to “let the music pass through people you admire,” transforming it into a living mirror, full of new textures and emotions.

In the meantime, the pair continue their sold-out world tour across Europe and the UK. And one piece of advice: catch them if you can.

Her latest track, “Portal”, feels like stepping into a humid, dreamlike landscape. A warm, weighty bass and reverberating guitars hover in the mix, while her voice drifts somewhere between reality and magic. She seems to be addressing someone else, or perhaps her own inner self, in a song that balances freedom with melancholy.

Fine’s new music arrives alongside a busy run of shows: she’s playing sold-out dates across Europe this fall and will make her North American debut with a group performance at New York’s Knockdown Center, alongside the amazing Erika de Casier, Smerz, and urika’s bedroom. Looking ahead, she’s already announced a special show at Earth Hackney in February 2026.

Fine- LIVE DATES
10/13/2025 – Berlin, DE @ 8mm Bar (sold out)
10/14/2025 – Berlin, DE @ 8mm Bar (sold out)
10/15/2025 – Amsterdam, NL @ Cinetol
10/16/2025 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic Records
10/17/2025 – London, UK @ St Matthias Church (sold out)
10/18/2025 – London, UK @ The Ivy House (sold out)
10/24/2025 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knockdown Centre w/ Erika de Casier, Smerz,
urika’s bedroom
10/30/2025 – Los Angeles, CA @ Brain Dead Studios (sold out)
11/15/2025 – Copenhagen, DK @ Alice
2/17/2026 – London, UK @ EartH Hackney

These names join an already stacked lineup that includes the return of Blood Orange, Four Tet, A. G. Cook, and Nicolas Jaar (in a unique collaboration with Ali Sethi). Rising stars Saya Gray and Nourished By Time, genre-bending acts like Ecco2k, and sonic visionaries such as John Maus, Djrum, and Skee Mask round out the list of artists who’ll take over Turin’s Lingotto Fiere and OGR Torino this autumn.

Now in its 23rd edition, C2C Festival (formerly Club To Club) will take place from 30 October to 2 November 2025, coinciding with Turin’s Contemporary Art Week. This year’s theme, Per Aspera Ad Astra, is dedicated to the late Sergio Ricciardone and promises a vibrant celebration of avant-pop in all its forms.

Now, Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt have just released a new video, “Dreams,” and it’s a stunner. Directed by lEngUa and starring Smerz themselves, the video leans into the track’s ascending synths and that echoing refrain “dream about me.” The result is a visual trip that feels like floating through memory: intimate, surreal, and full of longing. It’s Smerz doing what they do best: blurring the line between the everyday and the ethereal.

And there’s more: this fall, Smerz will be taking Big City Life on the road with their first major headline tour, bringing their unique mix of one-finger piano riffs, preset strings, and deadpan storytelling to stages across Europe and North America. Full itinerary below.

Smerz Tour Dates:

Sept. 6 – MUNCH Museums – Oslo, Norway
Sept. 10 – Hus7 – Stockholm, Sweden
Sept. 11 – Inkonst – Malmö, Sweden
Sept. 12 – Alter Festival – Aarhus, Denmark
Sept. 13 – Alice – Copenhagen, Denmark *SOLD OUT
Sept. 14 – Alice – Copenhagen, Denmark *SOLD OUT
Sept. 25 – Kuudes Linja – Helsinki, Finland

Oct. 9 – Unsound Festival – Krakow, PL

Oct. 12 – Madame Lou’s – Seattle, WA
Oct. 13 – Holocene – Portland, OR
Oct. 15 – Holland Project – Reno, NV
Oct. 16 – Cafe du Nord – San Francisco, CA
Oct. 17 – The Regent Theater – Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 20 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
Oct. 21 – The Garrison – Toronto, ON
Oct. 22 – Théâtre Fairmount – Montreal, QC
Oct. 24 – *TBA – Queens, NY

Nov. 3 – Sala B – Madrid, ES
Nov. 4 – El Pumarejo – Barcelona, ES
Nov. 5 – B.Leza – Lisbon, PT
Nov. 8 – Simple Things – Bristol, UK
Nov. 18 – Moth Club – London, UK *SOLD OUT
Nov. 19 – Moth Club – London, UK *SOLD OUT
Nov. 21 – TBA – Bern, CH
Nov. 22 – Silent Green – Berlin, DE