Fresh off a stream of successful releases including “TIK TAK” with SARRA, an official rework of Fatboy Slim’s “Right Here, Right Now,” “Sorry Papi” with Becky G and “Missing You” with Shimza and A7S, Topic switches direction on “Lucky Ones,” a new single made alongside newly formed duo carteblanche – and one written as a band song long before it became a dance record.
On the surface it’s the warm, feel-good dance-pop he’s been known for over the years, built around an easy summer hook – but it leans in an indietronic direction, the widescreen, synth-driven territory you might associate with Empire of the Sun, with the indie-pop instincts of its songwriting still audible underneath the production. Running through it is a real no-pressure feeling: the quiet contentment of escaping with friends or someone you love, with nowhere to be and nothing to prove – the kind of record that stretches the last of the summer out a little longer as the season winds down.
It also marks a return to Topic’s roots. After several years spent exploring Afro-influenced sounds, he comes back to the pairing that first defined him: emotive, sometimes melancholic songwriting carried by a driving beat. Where those recent singles leaned into club and Latin-facing energy, “Lucky Ones” pulls in a different direction, with carteblanche nudging the sound somewhere warmer, more widescreen and slightly more left-of-centre than a straight-ahead pop single.
“‘Lucky Ones’ feels a little like going back to my roots. A few years ago, we used to call my sound ‘Melancholic Dance Music’ – emotional and sometimes melancholic lyrics, but always with a driving beat. After exploring a lot of Afro-influenced sounds over the last few years, I’ve recently found myself really drawn to indie pop. We actually wrote ‘Lucky Ones’ almost like a song for a band first, without thinking about the dance production at all. I only turned it into a dance record afterwards. I think that combination of where I came from and where my sound has evolved to feels very much like where I’m at right now.” – Topic
“We met up with Topic and A7S at our studio in London where we had set aside a couple of days to write songs together and try out new vibes. “Lucky Ones” was actually the second song we wrote together. In the song we were trying to capture that feeling of no pressure escaping with your friends or someone that you love in the summer and just being content. We were just about to go on holiday ourselves which I think was probably influencing our mood. We’ve been big fans of Topic and also A7S for many years and we’re excited about this collaboration” – carteblanche
Topic is an internationally renowned DJ and producer who has made an indelible mark on the global music scene. His captivating dance music has amassed billions of streams and earned numerous gold, platinum and diamond certifications, cementing his place among electronic music’s biggest names. The German-Croatian artist rose to international stardom with his 2019 multi-platinum hit “Breaking Me” featuring A7S, which has surpassed 6 billion streams worldwide. In July 2024, he released “I Adore You” alongside HUGEL and Daecolm – a track that became Beatport’s #1 Afro House record and Shazam’s #1 Global Dance track for several weeks, dominating global charts and airwaves. In 2024, Topic launched WILD KID, his own label and party series, marking a bold new chapter focused on artistic freedom and innovation within electronic music.
