Hardwell’s Frantic New Banger Is the Soundtrack to Your Quarter-Life Crisis: Listen to “XTC”

Hardwell's new single doesn't offer answers—just a floor-thumping invitation to lose yourself in the search.

Since resurrecting his storied career after the end of a four-year hiatus, Hardwell has strayed from his uplifting anthems of yesteryear in favor of a darker sound, which has turned him into an architect of spine-chilling, escapist bangers. His latest release, "XTC," is a dazzling expansion of that approach.

The track finds Hardwell descending into the underbelly of techno with an uncompromising bassline and kick drums that pierce like ice against bare skin. Meanwhile, the lyrics crackle with existential angst, a sardonic "life's a game" countered by the desperate plea for escape: "I need some fire." At a breakneck BPM of 140, its frantic rhythm mirrors that internal struggle, thrumming with a restless energy.