In the last couple of years, I noticed a rise in club/electronic dance music (EDM) in the mainstream, not only on apps like TikTok but also on the radio. 2hollis might not be on the radio, but he has helped bring EDM back to the mainstream. This is especially true since 2hollis performed twice at the 2025 Coachella Music Festival.
“Star”, 2hollis’ April 4th, 2025 release is an album that has many different faces. Most of the time, it’s upbeat EDM drops, but sometimes the songs take a slightly different approach and a slower feel.
One of my favorite songs on this album takes this approach. “Eldest Child” is a song I never thought I would hear on a 2hollis album. In this song, 2hollis sings about his struggles as the oldest child and his hardships. As the eldest child in my own family, I can empathize with him, and that makes this song better to me.
Another one of my favorite songs on this album is “Cope.” This is another slower song and interpolates “Heroes (we could be)” by Alesso, which I think is cool. These slower tempo songs make this album feel like it has more variety and give it some texture.
My biggest draw to this album, and 2hollis altogether, is the production. 2hollis is an amazing producer, and you can hear it in every song he makes. This album in particular showcases this in songs like “Flash” and “Sidekick,” where the uptempo EDM rap combo is put together beautifully.
Some problems I have with this album are the length and the listenability of some of the songs. “Star” is just under 40 minutes long, which is a little short for an album. My other problem is that some of the songs, while technically impressive, are hard to listen to because of their extreme nature and not big replay value. These issues keep the album from being in constant rotation in my playlists or from getting stuck in my head.
Overall, “Star” is a great technical album that proves 2hollis to be one of the best young producers out right now, but falls quite short of being a perfect album. I rate it a 7.3/10.
