Avicii: True [PRMD/ISLAND]

Why you'll love it

This vinyl edition comes in a gatefold jacket. True peaked at No. 2 in the UK and reached the top ten in at least ten countries, led by "Wake Me Up," which topped charts around the world.

This edition

• Gatefold jacket
• 33 RPM

About the album

Swedish producer Tim Bergling was already headlining festivals on the strength of Levels when he decided his first proper album would sound nothing like it. He wanted to shake up a dance scene he felt was half stuck, so he brought in acoustic guitars, banjo and country-style songwriting and built True around them. It came out in September 2013 on his PRMD label with Island.

Aloe Blacc sings "Wake Me Up," the folk-meets-four-to-the-floor anthem that announced the new direction, and Salem Al Fakir lends his voice to "You Make Me." "Hey Brother" pairs bluegrass vocals with a soaring drop, "Addicted to You" leans into vintage soul, and "Lay Me Down" goes funky. The "Wake Me Up" single even carried a rare Marantz Enhanced Digital Stereo audio track, a sign of how much care went into the sound. Avicii said he knew the twang would provoke people, and he was happy for the record to find whoever loved what he loved.

A remixed version, True (Avicii by Avicii), followed in 2014. A decade on, the album sounds like the moment the main stage and the barn dance finally agreed on a playlist.

Also at Kops: more Avicii on vinyl · browse Electronic

Tracklist

Listen

On PRMD / Island, the 2013 album.