Electro-Wiz Avicii Goes Acoustic on New Single, “Wake Me Up”

The Swedish super-DJ returns with the first track off his upcoming debut (!) album.

Two years ago, Swedish super-DJ Avicii released “Levels,” what’s become the EDM movement’s de facto anthem. Since then he’s played Radio City Music Hall, worked with Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, and members of Abba. He’s been nominated for a Grammy, played Lollapalooza, and was named the No. 3-ranked DJ in the world by DJ magazine. What he hasn’t done, remarkably, is release an actual album. All that is going to change this fall with the release of #TRUE (sidenote: enough with the #hashtags. #We’re #looking #at #you #Thicke). But “Wake Me Up,” the first single off the album, which drops September 17 (at which time Avicii will be 24-years-old), may throw fans for a loop. In place of the now-generic, four-on-the-floor beat, Avicii adds doses of country, bluegrass, folk and soul to his usual electronic stew. And we’ll be damned if it doesn’t work.

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