The Next Generation is Exploding With Dynamic Music Duos

Power pairings are no novel concept in music. Nor are they in electronic music. For an unqualifiable genre, one without any strict handbook, anything is possible. But let’s face it, the only thing more innovative than one individual artistic mind is two innovative artistic minds. Maximizing their joint slay or whatever.

When looking at legends of the electronic music scene, Daft Punk probably comes to mind for most of the mainstream. Then there was Justice, who have continued to conquer both in and outside of this genre that shot them to their original stardom, recently sidestepping with production for The Weeknd.

More modern examples of electronic creative collaborations include Crystal Castles and SALEM. The latter helped birth the Witchhouse genre, which conjures synths and vocal effects signature to electronic. No matter how these pairs have evolved throughout their career, be it breaking up beautifully, crashing and burning, or waiting nearly decades between albums, only to announce new music via a Supreme drop, their place in this genre cannot be overstated.

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Between Friends

Savannah and Brandon Hudson’s brother-sister electronic pop project is by far the most approachable of the artists we’re discussing. They’ve been around for nearly a decade, and have become known for their infectious live performance style. “Affection,” off their 2019 EP, we just need some time together is an earworm anyone can get down with. Savannah’s brightly colored, scantily clad sense of style is so singular, Nymphet Alumni podcast dedicated an entire episode to exploring it. #PastelGoth

Coco and Clair Clair

These girls know how to turn up. They lean into pop and R&B sounds while maintaining an electronically-produced identity with the help of Porches and The Dare. They light up live performances, fitted to the nines, sharing bestie banter that infects crowds. My bestie and I saw their show at The Fonda in Los Angeles and felt serious kinship. From their cult classic track “Pretty”, to newer hits like “Kate Spade” and “Aggy”, these girls are setting the tone for gorgeous girl, chill girl music.

Snow Strippers

Here’s where things get hetero. Sort of. Sorry. Tatiana Schwaninger and Graham Perez are the vocalist.producer pair behind Snow Strippers. Their music is synthy, laserlike and lyrically compelling. Though confirmed that the two met on Tinder, their current relationship status is solely speculative. “So What If I’m A Freak” is a blaring, brash track that you can’t help but become hypnotized by. Their live shows are a bit of a spectacle, as Schwaninger totes the mic and half-sings, half flails her limbs around while Perez DJs nonchalantly behind the deck.

Bassvictim

Maria Manow and Ike Clateman, the confirmed romantic couple known as Bassvictim, are almost like a more spiritually jarring, European version of Snow Strippers. The music is, for the most part, more exciting. There seems to be a long-term artistic vision that the previously mentioned duo lacks. Their Basspunk mixtapes might demand more attentive listening, which I consider a compliment within such a specificity-driven genre. The flattery finishes there. I think the pair needs to split up per the domestic struggles the duo revealed during their messy Pitchfork interview.

Ear

The brains behind the band Ear, Jonah Paz and Yaelle Avtan, seem to have a grasp on something greater. Like their music, they’re mellow and focused. There’s a real intention to cuts like”Ne Plus Ultra,” which picks up just to break down in a way that satisfies the ears. They could work on the whole live performance aspect, their current style definitely reveals their shared Bard College alumni status. But they’ll grow into themselves it seems. With the way things are sounding, the world will grow into them too.

The Hellp

The only boy on boy action on this list is between Noah Dillon and Chandler Lucy, known better to Hedi Slimane minion men and their waifish girlfriends as The Hellp. And though the two tote the award on this ranking for most straight men in one partnership, they boast quite the creative electronic output. There’s a reason they pack people in like sardines at the random DJ sets they host around Santa Monica and Silver Lake. And that’s saying a lot! As I said, these are crowds of skinny hoes! Their 2025 LP, Riviera, ranges from rock to electronic to pure pop. All of it is enjoyable, with distorted vocals, addictive drumlines and nostalgic melodies. “Cortt” could be the song of the summer if we let it be so.

New York

Not to be confused with one of the best debut album opening tracks of all time, New York (the band) is Gretchen Lawrence and Coumba Samba’s foray into the genre they’re calling “Girl-pop”. We love that. There’s a great amount of gall in being completely anti-SEO with your art. And that nerve comes across in the at times, ambient, analog electronic they make. “skinny jeans” shows that confidence lyrically, frankly stating: “Saw you on the subway. I want to get in your skinny jeans. Take off your pants and marry me tonight”. Their ethos and execution is exciting. It’s interesting the way only girl on girl collaboration could be.

Frost Children

We’re never not “Falling” for Frost Children over here at PAPER HQ. We were repping them long before their incredible record, Sister, and the Kim Petras cosign they adopted with her feature on “RADIO”, as well as the pair’s production on Petras’ proper debut (lol), Detour. Lulu and Angel Prost are the second set of siblings on the list. They efficiently evoke a sense of familiarity with their sound. Like you know them and what they’re telling you, both lyrically and sonically. They are not twins, but seem so spiritually. They’re so musically masterful that calling it complimentary undersells their collaboration. Conjoined would be more correct.

MGNA Crrrta

What can I say about these two girlies that I didn’t cover during my lovely conversation with them this Spring? Ginger Scott and Farheen Khan may be making music in this dimension, but are truly multimedium visionaries. They speak about their work in literary terms and their lives through the lens of favorite films. They’re heady and a bit woowoo (though they calmly contested this when I told them I thought so), but so poignant and passionate about what they’ve made and what lies ahead. Their reliance on one another resonates, proving pairings to be, in some cases, cosmic.

Images via Getty