2010 seems to be the year of chillwave/dreamwave. Spearheaded by Washed Out and Neon Indian, the brand new genre (it’s debatable whether this is a “real” genre or not) has seen a big influx of exciting new groups. Two of the latest artists I’ve been turned on to are MillionYoung and Active Child.

MillionYoung is on the more electro-pop spectrum of chillwave with bright synth sounds and less distorted atmospherics/vocals. It’s like listening to bubbly disco on painkillers… it still shimmers and glistens but everything is a little slower and feels hazy and humid.

Active Child works on the other end of the spectrum delivering music that is more downtempo and reminiscent of acts like Bon Iver. Just imagine if Bon Iver was raised on Air France and suddenly acquired the technical skill to use a keyboard & Pro Tools.

It never feels right to group artists under sometimes arbitrary buzzwords but these artists work wonderfully when used on the same playlist.

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DOWNLOAD: MillionYoung – Soft Denial

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DOWNLOAD: MillionYoung – Feel The Same

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DOWNLOAD: MillionYoung – Cynthia

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DOWNLOAD: Active Child – Voice of an Old Friend

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DOWNLOAD: Active Child – Wilderness

BONUS: Neon Indian does more magic with their latest remix of The Silent League.

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DOWNLOAD: The Silent League – Here’s a Star (Neon Indian Remix)