Fresh off the release of their piping-hot new emo-dance anthem, ‘Happiness Is So Sad’, the Swedish House Mafia juggernaut continues to roll on, with the Scandinavian behemoth thundering towards Creamfields in just a few weeks. With this in mind, CULTR‘s resident SHM connoisseur, Jake Gable, gives us his verdict on the trio’s greatest records of all time, with some very strict stipulations:
i) Tracks MUST be released under the ‘Swedish House Mafia’ moniker, so singles which simply feature Axwell, Steve Angello, and/or Sebastian Ingrosso do not count (we’re looking at you, ‘Leave The World Behind’).
ii) Tracks cannot be produced by any combination of side-projects, e.g. ‘Supermode’, ‘Axwell Λ Ingrosso’, or ‘Buy Now’.
iii) Unreleased productions cannot be included, e.g. the ‘original’ version of ‘It Gets Better’ or the Stockholm 2019 original of ‘Underneath It All’.
Right, now the house rules are out the way, let’s get to it!
These are CULTR’s Top 10 Swedish House Mafia Tracks…
10. WAIT SO LONG
A surprising selection to kick us off, perhaps. But since this one dropped last Summer, the feel-good vibes surrounded by every drop of it in any live setting have simply been incomparable. Utilising the near-flawless vocal from Plan B‘s original, the Swedes took an otherwise mediocre and slow-tempo release and transformed it into one of the most vibrant festival staples of recent years. Most recently featuring in Steve Angello‘s sensational 3-hour Tomorrowland set at the Crystal Garden, this one is a truly under-rated selection.
9. MIAMI 2 IBIZA
Such is the vast range of quality within the Swedish House Mafia back-catalogue, that we’ve already hit ‘the classics’ territory by number 9. One of their first truly groundbreaking releases, this whopper back in 2010 really catapulted the trio into primetime consciousness, thanks to the slick collaboration with the era’s poster-boy, Tinie Tempah. The Mafia later re-introduced this one to their sets, most famously opening with it during their eagerly anticipated return at Ultra Music Festival 2018 in Miami, a full 5 years after their split.
8. TURN ON THE LIGHTS AGAIN..
What happens when you team the greatest musical minds from the previous decade, with the most prominent genius of the ‘twenties’? Luckily, we found out in 2022, thanks to this rasping release from the studio(s) of SHM and a certain Mr Fred again… The collaboration marked the start of a beautiful partnership between both artists with Fred once again co-producing recent single, ‘Happiness Is So Sad‘, but nothing can compare to the sheer punchiness of this floor-filler. That haunting melodic hook is worth the entrance fee alone.
7. HEAVEN TAKES YOU HOME
Truth be told, the 2021/22 ‘Paradise Era‘ might just be the most low-key triumph of the entire SHM story to date. Keeping fans waiting through COVID, the boys dropped their first single in 9 years in the shape of ‘Lifetime‘, with the album following soon after. On a stunning release, which included the likes of ‘Redlight’ and ‘Calling On’, the undeniable stand-out though, was this emotive anthem, which many fans labelled ‘Don’t You Worry Child 2.0’. The boys are now known to often end their sets with their own remix of the song.
6. MOTH TO A FLAME
Another child of the ‘Paradise Again’ era, it is perhaps a hallmark of SHM’s quality that even a global megastar like The Weeknd chooses to end all of his own live shows with this collaboration, ahead of any other selection in his own burgeoning discography. The two artists also lated teamed up on the groove-laden ‘Sacrifice‘. but it was ‘Moth To A Flame’ which ushered in the new era for everybody’s favourite Swedish supergroup (sorry, ABBA).
5. ANTIDOTE
When it comes to full-on, in-yer-face, raw, unbridled, limb-flailing, frenetic, primal, rave-energy, few tracks in the world can match the explosion of ‘Antidote’, the 2012 collaboration between SHM and Pendulum‘s DnB spin-out child, Knife Party. Infamously, the track’s drop, and the Swedes, caused £4 million in damages at Creamfields 2019, when the extreme heat from the massive flame towers on their pyrotechnics literally melted and permanently ruined parts of the Arc Stage’s giant curved LED screens and stage equipment. Worth it, though.
4. SAVE THE WORLD
Some tracks just sound better when sang out-loud, and usually, anything with John Martin‘s vocals on it, can fit effortlessly into that folder. But this might just be the King of the genre. ‘Save The World’ is an aural encapsulation of slinging arms around your buddies, and tilting your head back to the open-sky, as thousands of festival goers around you bellow the chorus in unison. As Axwell so often urges fans, ‘Open Your Heart and Open Your Mind’. Well the heart has never been more open than when covered in goosebumps any time this one drops.
3. ONE (YOUR NAME)
The jewel in the crown of SHM’s 2010-2013 peak, ‘One‘ is the quintessential SHM selection. Built around a razor-sharp, hypnotic D minor synthesizer hook that commands immediate attention, the drop delivers a carefully layered, tension-building wall of euphoric sound, before Pharrell Williams’ chopped, pitched, and processed vocal adds organic warmth to an otherwise mechanical, high-energy instrumental. A timeless blueprint of early teenies-era EDM, the track transformed the trio from underground club producers into global festival headliners.
2. GREYHOUND
Honestly, it was nearly impossible to separate the silver and gold medals, on this list, and you’ll already have an idea of our winner if you’ve not yet scrolled below (c’mon guys, let’s keep those TikTok-inducing levels of ADHD under control, please). Whilst our gold medalist focuses on emotion, and vocal brilliance, ‘Greyhound’ is quite the opposite, showcasing SHM’s penchant for driving, kinetic, instrumentation, blurring sharp basslines, and an epic trance-inspired melodic breakdown. One of the most cinematic anthems on the entire Mafia CV.
1. DON’T YOU WORRY CHILD
Well, it had to be, didn’t it. Also a contender for ‘most-overplayed’ SHM track of all time, but ‘DYWC’ contains the rarest of magical formula in still sounding near-f**cking-perfect, no matter how many times you hear it. During the boom of an era defined by the likes of Avicii‘s ‘Levels’, ‘Strobe‘ by deadmau5, and Martin Garrix‘s ‘Animals‘, there’s an entirely plausible claim to crown DYWC as the ultimate jewel in the 2010-2013 crown. With an accompanying video filmed at their July 2012 MK Bowl show as part of ‘One Last Tour’ (on a day when the likes of Calvin Harris, Alesso, and Pete Tong were enlisted as support acts), EDM had never sounded so good, and – truthfully – has never sounded as good, since.
Agree/disagree with our selections? Why not drop [email protected] a cheeky email to kickstart the debate?
