Rooted in the Beehive State, but stretching to Manhattan (where Dustin lives) and London and New Orleans and Nashville and all the way back to 1984 for that matter, Hive Riot is the sound of letting go. Officially, though, it’s the sound that indie pop artist Mindy Gledhill and classical virtuoso Dustin Gledhill make when joining forces. But we’ll get back to that. The sound of letting go of what? Well, first of all, preconceived notions. Neither Gledhill knew what it might sound like when they collaborated. Or, if they did, it certainly didn’t turn out how they thought it would, you know classical indie pop or piano-driven pop or whatever the Collaboration Matrix would spit out when you enter a piano genius and a pop singer/songwriter. But certainly not the 80s-inspired synth pop that actually DID come out. And, second, it’s the sound of letting go of fear, of insecurity, of expectations (our own and the ones others project upon us). Dustin and Mindy both disappeared into the music. Who they were played into it, sure, but it quickly and organically became a third, new, beautiful thing. Dustin Gledhill was a prodigy piano virtuoso, performing Gershwin and Rachmaninov with symphonies by the age of seven. He’s endlessly musically pedigreed (Juilliard, Royal Academy of Music, Manhattan School of Music) and has been an innovative collaborator with dance productions from London to New York to New Orleans. His next non-Hive Riot project will be a collaborative album of Prokofiev’s Cinderella pieces for piano, which is as much a tribute to his absurd talent as it is to his sleep-when-I’m-dead work ethic. Mindy Gledhill, a tireless and relentlessly seeking artist herself, has taken her artistry around the world—singing on two Kaskade albums, a #1 single in Korea, placing songs on tv (Bones, So You Think You Can Dance, 20/20, The Good Wife, 2012 Olympics, and 2013 Super Bowl), singing with orchestras and acoustic guitarists alike, leading a creative retreat to Morocco, and so much more. The two of them together as Hive Riot are an electric alchemy whose debut, self-titled album won Best Pop Album at the 2016 Independent Music Awards. Hive Riot is the sound of letting go. And, in that letting go, you hear the sound of celebration and of liberation. The songs are a synthy, dance-fueled party, hosted by Cyndi Lauper and CHVRCHES. And every great party has its afterparty and there are downtempo, after hours songs here too. We all have something to let go, something to celebrate, something to move on from, something to move on towards. And Hive Riot is the soundtrack.