Following months of anticipation, ILLENIUM unleashes his anticipated third full-length album, ASCEND
To date, a string of staggering singles from the ASCEND LP have cumulatively tallied over 270 million streams. These range from the emotionally charged “Take You Down” and “Crashing” ft. Bahari to the smash hit “Good Things Fall Apart” with Jon Bellion (and its remixes and powerful acoustic version) and this month’s “Blood” ft. Foy Vance. YourEDM dubbed the latter, “a downright nasty bass banger with ethereal vocals, making use of everything in his arsenal,” and Billboard claimed, “‘Blood’ knocks down everything in its path ahead of the release of ILLENIUM’s LP ASCEND,” going on to add, “Few producers are so skilled at melding the ethereal and the pummeling, but Denver-based phenom ILLENIUM has made the dichotomy his trademark.”
Furthermore, he joined forces with
indie-electronica superstars The Chainsmokers for “Takeaway” ft. Lennon
Stella, which impressively
amassed over 35 million Spotify streams and 20+ million
views on the music video
in less than a month. The downtempo-dance anthem is the perfect marriage
between ILLENIUM’S sonic
craftsmanship and the impeccable intertwinement of The Chainsmokers and Lennon Stella’s exquisite vocals.
In addition to “Takeaway,” The
powerhouse tracklisting for ASCEND boasts stunning
collaborations such as “In Your Arms” ft. X
Ambassadors, “Gorgeous” ft. Bipolar Sunshine with Blanke,
and “Sad Songs” ft. Annika Wells with Said The
Sky.
Embodying his most cohesive
vision yet, ASCEND threads together an uplifting narrative
undercurrent beginning on “I Care (Intro),” which includes excerpts from the film The Breakfast Club, and carried through an unpredictable
musical journey until the gripping final triumvirate of songs ignited by “Gorgeous.”
Reaching an emotional apex, “Angel (Lonely Interlude)” pairs a
thought-provoking timeless quote by Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting
with a minimalist hum before “Lonely” ft. Chandler Leighton soars
to heavenly heights on echoing piano and guitar. He ultimately exorcises
emotion through uncanny musical alchemy.
Last week, ILLENIUM shared multiple exclusive
merchandise bundles to accompany the album. Six bundle options are now
available in limited quantities at https://illenium.com/. In addition to the
brand-new record, these include a black baseball jersey, white baseball jersey,
and croptop baseball jersey, brandishing his instantly recognizable phoenix
logo. He also offers an eye-catching tie-dye crop hoodie and a striking Phoenix
hologram long sleeve in black, plus an ASCEND
album T-Shirt and enamel pin.
ILLENIUM brings the new music
to life on his biggest headline run yet, The ASCEND Tour, which
kicks off September 18 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh and includes a night at New
York City’s famed Madison Square Garden on September 21, and The Staples Center
in Los Angeles on December 7. With a sold-out show in London’s prestigious
Heaven nightclub, and a set of triple back-to-back sold-out shows at Red Rocks,
Colorado, ILLENIUM is proving to be
one of the most sought-after club acts on the circuit.
The album projects ILLENIUM’s immersive vision in widescreen. Not only does it musically traverse levels of electronic, alternative, indie, pop-punk, and dubstep, but it lyrically shares intimate and relatable stories inside of vibrant vignettes. Personal, poetic, and powerful, it represents the uncompromising ascension of this innovator.
