Cross Pollination

On Lane 8’s 2020 album, *Brightest Lights*, the Denver DJ folded together melodic techno, deep house, and downtempo, reinforcing progressive sounds with pop instincts. *Cross Pollination*, released eight months later, builds on that fluid aesthetic across seven collaborations with like-minded electronic musicians. The beats hit slightly harder here; although released in a year without clubs, most of these tracks were evidently crafted with moving bodies in mind. “Buggy,” with his Anjunadeep labelmate Yotto, pairs soaring synth leads with a driving, trance-inspired groove; “Matcha Mistake,” with the UK’s Kidnap, embellishes rock backbeats with airy synths reminiscent of golden-era progressive house. Stepping back from *Brightest Lights*’ vocal collabs, this is a mostly instrumental affair, though wordless singing contributes to the M83-like uplift of “Shatter,” with OTR. Even so, all seven tracks are steeped in Lane 8’s typically generous mix of emotions—particularly the opening Massane collab, “And We Knew It Was Our Time,” which oscillates between measured restraint and heart-on-sleeve rapture with unusual finesse.