Kygo Cloud Nine

Enter tropical house, or trop house for short, popularized by fresh-faced artists like Kygo. The young Norwegian takes a cue from his Swedish neighbor Avicii in his sound, but slows the tempos and exchanges punchy drops for lighter, synth-driven bridges, which pop up in almost every song. He won our hearts last year with “Firestone” and “Stole the Show,” the latter of which plays like a bittersweet curtain call for commercial EDM, recognizing that it’s ending and toasting a glass to its good times. He taps into those same emotions on cuts like the Tom Odell-driven “Fiction” and surely has another hit on his hands with “Happy Birthday,” a celebratory bottle rollout cushioned by the velvety voice of John Legend. If there’s a complaint, it’s that Kygo could have trimmed the fat from the 15-track playlist, which at times feels a bit redundant.