But no matter how timeless and effortless they seem, they’ve got to be written and produced by a visionary artist. Boston’s MkX is a musician like that, and “Fall,” his latest single, is about as close to pop perfection as anybody has come this year. That’s a big claim, but we wouldn’t make it if we weren’t sure that MkX has the beats to back it up. “Fall” is catchy, danceable, propulsive, innovative, instantly memorable, lustful, daring, witty, swaggering – everything we want in a synth-pop song. It’s no outlier for MkX, whose prior productions have been streamed millions of times, but it’s an ascent to a pinnacle that few artists ever reach.  

His peers have noticed. Over the past few years, MkX has collaborated with some of the most exciting artists in electronic pop and beyond. Popstar Kim Petras is a co-writer. He’s the soundscaper behind “Young & Wild” by the chart-topping K-pop group TWICE. Prior single “Down” featured the raunchy, outspoken, wildly-talented Chicago rapper CupcakKe, whose audacity matches his. They’ve all been drawn to his dizzying drops, his knack for engrossing electronic textures, his impeccable sense of rhythm, his unerring ear for harmony, and, above all, his marvelous way with a hook. With nothing more than a laptop, a microphone, and an audio suite, he’s conjuring pure audio magic.