Duke Dumont - Union (2025) [Hi-Res]

When British producer Duke Dumont released his debut album Duality in April 2020, clubs and festivals around the world were closed down, leaving dance floors empty. The cover of his follow-up, Union , feels like a response to that absence: a candid shot from one of his shows, capturing a packed crowd mid-dance, arms raised in anticipation. More than a photo memory, it’s a testament to the communal power of live music.

If Duality nodded to the glory days of ’90s house, Union embodies the energy of a UK rave: harder, faster, clubbier—made to be played loud, start to finish. The title track jump-starts the adrenaline with a cinematic crescendo, seamlessly moving into “The Chant,” slow-burning electronica with a euphoric payoff. Later, “Hit Em” offers a momentary breather with mellow breakbeats before resuming sweat mode. Collaborations like the resilient “Ain’t Giving Up” with Clementine Douglas and the haunting “All My Life” with Panama highlight Dumont’s pop sensibilities, pairing vocals aching for connection with soaring melodies. Union ’s most poignant instincts arrive on “Feels Like This,” where poet Tony Walsh sums up the spirit of it all: “Call it an energy, call it a vibe/Call it a spirit, we share it inside/And here on the dance floor, this spirit has chance for/The loving of living a life fit to dance for.”