Frost Children : SISTER
The EDM aesthetics that Frost Children, the sibling duo of Angel and Lulu Prost, have embraced over the years come together remarkably on SISTER—their most refined and best record. Playing like a genre-bending festival electro-house DJ set from the 2010s, Frost Children have transcended the hyperpop label once dismissively ascribed to them. The Prosts move with the times: the revisionist indie sleaze revival has put its hedonistic bloghouse microgenre back on the map, and hyperpop has settled into emo-laden, guitar-driven territory for a couple of years now.
Their one-two punch of 2023 albums, SPEED RUN and Hearth Room, both caught wind of those new sensibilities, which are properly combined on SISTER. SPEED RUN’s energetic, bass-heavy melodies showed the Prosts’ hearts are in dance music, but the toned-down, folky overtone on Hearth Room revealed their affecting songwriting abilities. By merging these disparate elements, this headbanging dance music, an unfortunately often devalued genre, sounds so substantial. Frost Children’s sharpened songwriting edge is proof that they live and breathe this music.
This uncynical approach to EDM is shaping up to be a welcome trend: A month before SISTER, electronic artist Ninajirachi released her breakthrough debut album, I Love Computer, a set of revved-up electropop and bubblegum bass celebrating the internet’s previous incarnation that prioritized community. Similarly, on SISTER, Frost Children rejuvenate these genres earnestly, thanks to their introspective lyrics on life changes, co-dependency, and intimacy. On “Falling,” the submissive refrain “Tell me the way to live, I’m falling apart / Take over, take over” makes the drilling digital percussion sound passionately heartfelt. The three-track run of singles, “ELECTRIC,” “CONTROL,” and “Bound2U,” all twist compressed synths in numerous directions, each exploring romantic woes, and the relentless hyperactivity makes the lyrics land with greater impact.
The genre switches open more dimensions in Frost Children’s world. The title track harks back to the acoustic alt-pop on Hearth Room, the sincere song honoring their siblinghood. The crass “Dirty girl” veers into rap rock with the Prosts’ abrasive vocal delivery. “RADIO” with Kim Petras seamlessly bounces between 2-step, breakbeat, and dirty electro house. “Don’t make me cry” is a poignant vocal trance cut, while “Ralph Lauren” with Babymorocco is a dizzying throwback to sample-heavy electroclash. This broad sonic landscape is what the Prosts grew up listening to, and here they are creating it themselves, all grown-up.
This vibrant palette coalesces into the majestic, supercharged closer “2 LØVE,” an anthemic distillation of Frost Children navigating life. This rocketing send-off features a thumping bassline laced with gorgeous piano stabs to pull lightly at the heartstrings. While the upbeat pace is quite full-on throughout the record—by the closing track, you’d be so worn out from dancing, maybe even listening—the unceasing joy will keep you wanting to keep going. SISTER is the dance music Frost Children have been listening to since they were teens, and not only have they reinvigorated it to a tee, but they’ve also made it meaningful.
Label: True Panther/Dirty Hit
Year: 2025
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