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Patrick Holland’s latest single is immaculately layered: rolling bass line, soft, percussive pitter-patter, something like birdcalls zipping through the background, a sweet, squeaky synthesizer riff poking through all the prettiness. “Up to You” builds intensity stealthily, as snippets of wordless, pitch-shifted vocals emerge to play tag with the main motif. The fluttering back and forth continues, gaining momentum, until another voice — it sounds like it’s saying “overtaken” — joins the fray, and all three melodies circle each other endlessly until Holland fades out.
Holland used to make music under a different name, Project Pablo. He earned a reputation for producing handsome but languid house music — heady melodies take the sting out of a steady thump, resulting in a combination that can wind you up or bliss you out, depending on your personal preference. The combination has proved appealing even in a streaming-scape that’s not particularly friendly to eight-minute-long underground house cuts: Project Pablo tracks like “Closer” and “Sky Lounge” have managed to accumulate over a million streams.
Holland announced his name-change in an Instagram post earlier this month. “For all future tunes I’m taking a personal leap back to my original moniker, chosen by my parents on January 1st, 1992: Patrick Holland,” he wrote. “I am nervous,” he added, “and beyond excited to do so.”
Find a playlist of all of our recent Songs You Need to Know selectionson Spotify.
