The genre of progressive house – of festival progressive house in particular – is one that has captured by far the most attention in the EDM scene, with the biggest of the big names like Martin Garrix, Hardwell, Tiesto and more involved in the genre. Many mainstream EDM fans ignore the much more important contributions of the legends and icons who contributed significantly and dedicated their whole lives to the genre. I am talking of people like Dubvision, Manse and of course, this duo, known as Third Party. Having experienced a wave of popularity through their viral single with Martin Garrix (Lions in the Wild – I must admit I didn’t know of them when this single was released), they have continued to remain one of the most loyal artists to their genre.

Their 2017 album HOPE included multiple groovy tracks, as well as a fair share of melodic ones, which are more along the lines of their recent album-teasing singles for TOGETHER. The highlight of HOPE if you ask me was Live Forever, and coming in at second place was Have No Fear. I am personally geared more towards the melodic side of things, which is why TOGETHER is my pick over HOPE, even though it features fewer tracks.TOGETHER is a 9-track progressive house only album, which emphasizes their distinctive sound in the genre through a wide assortment of melodies brought out through vibrant, buzzing soundscapes. Although 5 of the 9 singles were previously released, I have little objection, because the album feels very cohesive through the central theme of progressive house. TOGETHER was announced at short notice less than two weeks ago, and it has been teased over social media through the reveal of the album cover.

In 2019, the idea of an album is much different than it was perhaps only a few years ago. Very few EDM artists are choosing to release albums, because what ends up happening is that many tunes that aren’t released as singles are overlooked due to poor marketing and get ignored. Third Party circumvent this flaw by choosing to release the majority of the album before the release itself. The album was actually due in Feb 2019, but due to yet unknown reasons, it was postponed by a month.

In this track by track review, I’ll be sharing some of my thoughts on the nuances of each of the 9 tracks – ranked in order of my ratings (favorites first)!

Northern Lights – A track which makes you feel like you’re drifting through the ocean – or perhaps simply looking up at the Northern Lights. Third Party show their mastery over slower melodies with this tune – while slow melodies often need backing supersaws to keep the chord progression going when notes aren’t being played, they instead add heavy echo on the lead to extend the sound and let the bassline do the job for them. I’m really enjoying the mixdown on this – the highs are prominent but not distracting, and the kick sticks out through the bass and melody.

Falling – My Melodic Masterpiece of last week, this tune is a collaboration with trance producer First State, a fact which is somewhat noticeable in the sound design. The leads have a trance vibe, with an increased sparkle and crispness. Slight echos also keep the chord progression intact and conspicuous. I’m glad they decided to credit the vocalist, Anita Kelsey, on this one. The vocal samples in the drop are classic Third Party. A more calming tune than many of the others on the album.

Together – Title track and one of my favorite tunes too. The vocal sample in this is so romantic and magical. You’ll have goosebumps all over when you give this one a listen. Heavy kicks and a slow melody extracts all the joy from the vocal sample and pours it all over the song. The smooth-as-silk melody adds a sense of cohesiveness and continuity to this majestic tune, and I really can’t put this feeling into words.

Higher – An atmospheric intro builds up to the melody in quite a surreal manner. One of the sweeter sounding tunes on this track – the plucks are fine tuned to perfection. This track is a slight foray into the genre of progressive trance which labels like Colorize have been putting out lately, and I love it. The melody is definitely good enough to warrant a near-5 minute long track. The mid-basses have been boosted on the lead, which gives you that heartwarming feeling every time you give this a listen.

Free – Like many others in the album, this tune relies heavily on the vocal samples used in the break sections. The drops have that classic Third Party sound with a brassy lead, as well as a gritty, yet not overpowering, bass. As the lead single to promote this album, Third Party chose what in their opinion was the one song that epitomizes their sound, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s quickly become a fan favorite and I highly doubt it’ll be replaced by any other track anytime soon.

Come With Me – Come With Me features one of the best melodies on the album. The vocals seem to come straight out a pop track, but their dominance makes a marked impact on the song. A feel good song throughout, even incorporating some vox on the vocals in the break. The bass is much more prominent in this one than in the other songs in TOGETHER.

Shadows – Beginning with the iconic Third Party plucks and a one-line vocal sample (which shouldn’t really come as a surprise), this again leans towards trance with the melodies coming through a flute-like atmospheric lead. There isn’t a “main melody” in this track, instead it’s the harmony among the multiple layers which gives you that sense of satisfaction.

Midnight – This tune really shows how much a simple chord progression can do to a song. All 200+ seconds of the song rely on this progression, in a true progressive house format with elements entering and leaving the mix on a regular basis. One single vocal sample sticks out, and this song retains a pounding, but leveled-down big-room styled bass which is much smoother than the detuned, saw basses on most of the other singles. It’s already become their second most successful track out of the 5 in the album that were released before the final date, and for good reason – it’s ideal for radio play.a

Remember – This track uses a combination of those groovy vocals that you’ll hear on Hexagon and Heldeep and the soaring, melodic ones more commonly found in EDM. I love the addition of the guitar in the break – it brings about a very organic feel to the tune. The leads on this are mixed with a bit more focus on the high end, which might be due to the depth of the singer’s voice.

I think that the one theme that runs throughout this album in and of itself is unity in diversity. While all the songs are quite easily distinguishable as progressive house tunes, they all contain minor variations in their energy, groove and melody, which makes some songs more suited to festival play and others to casual listening. My example here would be Midnight, which is the kind of song I might listen to before going to bed, versus Free, which takes on a much more aggressive sound for festivals. You might find the album a touch repetitive, but that won’t prove to be a problem because you’ll be singing along to each and every melody.

And if you’re wondering who the vocalist in most of these tracks is, it’s Max McElligott, who did the vocals on Third Party’s collab with Martin Garrix. Max sang on Together, Remember, Come With Me, Free and Northern Lights.

Third Party are touring through Japan and UK, and I strongly suggest you go and watch them put on a show which will undoubtedly be as good as their set in the Ziggodome recently, which you can check out here.