Third Party – Hope [Album Review + Interview]

2017 might as well may have locked down the album of the year, and it has barely just begun. The brilliant debut album from London-based duo Third Party called ‘Hope’, is truly one for the books. From the very beginning of their careers as staple artists of Steve Angello‘s Size Records all the way to their current position as icons of the progressive house genre, Harry and Jonnie have done a mind-blowing job with both their productions and songwriting as well as building one of the strongest artist brands the genre has ever seen.

Very few albums in modern-day dance music have managed to capture the pure soul and raw emotion as the new album does; and in an era where commercial releases and heavy, banging drops are more likely to rise to the top, true art is becoming increasingly harder to come by. A well-composed album tells the story of the artist(s) behind it, and that is exactly what Third Party’s ‘Hope’ does.

It’s hard to pick a favorite track out of the new album, as every single track on it is nothing short of a masterpiece. The first track, a brand new single called ‘Without You’, sets the tone for the entire LP, and hooks listeners on from the very beginning; steering them into a captivating journey through the beautiful vocals and the stellar melodies Third Party’s productions have come to be known for. The following tracks on the album, such as ‘Live Forever’, ‘Guiding Light’, and ‘Have No Fear’, effortlessly capture the inspiration and drive behind the entire project, and will keep listeners enraptured throughout the entirety of ‘Hope’.

While a few of the tracks which make an appearance on the album have been previously released, such as the duo’s explosive earlier singles ‘Arrival’, ‘Waiting’, and their festival-breaking collaboration with Martin Garrix called ‘Lions In The Wild’, they all play their part in the story Third Party want to express with ‘Hope’. The remainder of the album sees some remarkable tracks such as ‘Hurt’, ‘Get Back’, and ‘Veins’, and to top it all off, closes with an astounding VIP rendition of one of the duo’s most iconic hits of their career, ‘Everyday Of My Life’.

Overall, the new Third Party album ‘Hope’ is one bound to be remembered for a very long time, as one of the finest musical compilations of the decade. A firm favorite of ours, the 11-track LP has been on rotation since we first listened to it, and is undoubtedly one of the best electronic dance music albums we’ve heard in years.

Check out the album in its entirety below, as well as a short discussion with Third Party on their artistic background, their inspirations, and what caused them to sit down and compose such a beautiful piece of art.

As a duo you guys have come a long way from your early days at Size Records with Steve Angello. How has that journey been for you?

“We’re always grateful for the opportunity that Steve gave us. He really started our journey into house music and has been a massive support ever since. Since the Size days we’ve been able to take on his advice and create our own paths with our own label and musical direction.”

Give us some insight on the new album ‘Hope’. How did the idea for the album come to life and what is your vision and story behind it?

“We came up with the title of Hope as we felt this represented what we wanted the message of the album to be as a whole. We want people who listen to the album to be inspired the way we were inspired by music we listened to growing up. Also from a human level, music has the power to create Hope for someone in any aspect of their life, so if any of the songs can motivate/inspire/help anyone in anyway we will feel it was all worth it!”

Tell us a little more about how you guys got into production, and who/what inspired you the most throughout the years, both inside and outside of the dance music scene?

“We got into music production when we both attended a music tech college in London straight from school. We spent a lot of time in clubs around London on the weekends and naturally our musical direction quickly developed into the house music scene. Mark Knight and Chris Lake were two of the first DJ’s we ever saw who really hooked us but in recent years we’ve been massively inspired by Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Steve Angello, Eric Prydz, and Axwell.”

What would you say is your favorite track on the new album and why?

“Haha that’s a hard one. We change our minds a lot so maybe ask us in 6 months time!”

It seems like these days you guys are the ones keeping the progressive house we all love alive. How are you guys doing it? We’d expect it to be a challenge to keep up given the current influx of Flume/Chainsmokers-style of tracks.

“Progressive house has always been our first love coming into the industry so why change what you love? I think if anything the influx of similar sounding tracks trying to follow trends has made our vision and direction even stronger.  If you fall into the trap of following trends it becomes very difficult to create your own identity which is very crucial to have longevity in this industry.”

Your imprint Release Recordings has been doing outstandingly well, all the music so far has been quality and the label shows have been a remarkable success from what we’ve seen. What inspired your decision to start the label? Any exciting news coming up for Release?

“I think we really wanted to take our own path, help up and coming producers that we like and just have a platform where we have full control and create our vision without any restrictions. Of course we have ‘HOPE’ coming out on the label Feb 24^th but after this, we have a lot of amazing, progressive music in store for 2017. Also have some big Release shows planned where we really want to push Release artists and the Release sound!”

Who are your current favorite producers at the moment? Any talent we should know about/keep an eye on?

“We have some really talented young guys coming through Release which you’re going to be hearing a lot more about in 2017. Watch out for our boys Sentinel, Pete K, and Corey James!”

Finally, we cannot stress enough how amazing this new album is. Any advice you want to leave your fans with?

“Stay true yourself and your craft. Listen to others but ultimately always trust your gut.”

Grab your copy of ‘Hope’ album here and stream the album via Spotify below: