Photo of Mija courtesy of artist
As the OWSLA affiliate most dedicated to all things candy-coated, Mija's place in the hi-gloss wake of EDM is uniquely joyful. Even when she's given to acidic techno sets or heads-down house productions, there's an electricity that she brings to even the most austere forms—and her new track "Secrets" is no exception.Constructed around a sample of the Canadian sad pop superstars Tegan and Sara's "Boyfriend"—a song about longing for openness and visibility in a queer relationship—the song could have been a more subdued number. But over the course of the track's three and half minutes, Mija weaves the track through some of dance music's most euphoric genres—a little bit of drum and bass, a helping of happy hardcore, some of American dubstep's sugariest synths—shifting through sounds and styles while keeping unrestrained glee as the throughline. The pained sample—"I don't wanna be your secret anymore"—becomes a mantra, a cry of joy rather than pain. Listen below or download it over at her SoundCloud.