Steffen lights up the dance-floor with new anthem "X"

On his new single, "X," ascending pop architect Steffen throws himself into a whirlwind of synthy euphoria and electricity, sparking dancefloor energy. Anchoring his forthcoming album "Keep Your Light In Everything," this brazen release is a complete party celebrating late 2000s dance-pop and shamelessly channels Kylie Minogue's already-iconic 2007 album X.

"X" envelops you in a hurry of wild, glammed-up sound. It's a laser-hued production that pulses with electro textures and a pop backbone that never relents. It tastes like a wistful contemporary escape, a slice of electronica perfect for neon nights and ecstatic queer parties. It's the sort of music that's asserting itself.

But below the thumping basslines and glimmering synths is an artist paying homage with purpose. Recorded with a crackling intimacy, "X" is the starting point for an album project that grows more personal and playful in turns. Each track on "Keep Your Light In Everything" is a love letter to a specific Kylie album, and with "X," at that, Steffen is channeling the bygone excitement of an era of pop music.

The song's appeal comes from its strongly danceable but meticulously made. It's a catchy song that doesn't feel like a corporate product. It's rooted in retro but feels entirely new. Whether swirling under a disco ball or going in on headphones, "X" gives you an injection of joyful defiance and untrammeled pop passion. Steffen pays tribute to a pop icon with this release and stakes his claim in the genre's exciting future. "X" is a fizzy wham-bam of a sound that refuses to go flat.

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