Yan Wagner has been quietly rewriting his own rulebook lately, and his new single “High” makes the clearest case yet: he’s moving further away from the cold, industrial pressure of his recent work alongside Gesaffelstein (Gamma era) and into something more guitar-forward—still electronic at the core, but built to hit differently.
Call it alternative rock with a big beat engine and a psychedelic glare. The obvious touchstone is what Noel Gallagher helped The Chemical Brothers pull off on “Let Forever Be” back in 1999: rock instincts up front, club momentum underneath, and a headrush that feels like it’s lit from inside.
The 1999 reference isn’t a reach
What makes “High” land is how confidently it lives in that crossover space—where guitars don’t soften the drums, and the drums don’t swallow the song. It doesn’t play like a nostalgia exercise, either. It plays like someone using a familiar framework to say something current: overstimulated, slightly untethered, and honest about how hard it is to hide once the light flips on.
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Even in the writing, Wagner keeps returning to that push-pull between disappearance and exposure—waiting for something that may never arrive, then getting blindsided by brightness anyway. (The hook makes it plain: “so bright I can’t hide.”)
Yan even described the build (via Facebook) in a way that tracks with what you hear:
HIGH started as a simple guitar + vocal song with an almost bluesy mood. I then decided to take it to some more chemical grounds when production began. I invited the amazing Drummer Lucien Chatin aka @hannahmiette to play along at @studiocbe with @davidmestre_dvm adding his magic touch. Thanks for all your Nice feedbacks.
From the Gesaffelstein chapter to a new kind of intensity
If the Gesaffelstein collaboration felt like Wagner stepping into a sealed, metallic room and letting the pressure build, “High” feels like stepping outside—same intensity, different air. It’s less about industrial force and more about velocity: a song that moves like it’s chasing its own reflection.
Traumsmith’s Paris cover keeps the visual thread intact
Wagner also pointed fans to the single’s artwork: the cover is credited to the all-mighty @traumsmith, a “magical” photograph shot in Paris. It’s also part of the same visual world Traumsmith contributed to on Wagner’s previous single “SYNCHRONISED,” which makes this new run feel intentional—new sound, consistent eye.
If “High” is Wagner drawing a new map, it’s a bold first marker—one foot in rock, one foot on the dancefloor, eyes wide still under that blinding light.
Get High, below –
Stream “High” (smart link): https://bfan.link/high-24
Wagner’s post crediting the cover art: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRtqTDEjbdx/
For more on Yan Wagner, visit: https://linktr.ee/Yanwagner.
Drop your take in the comments: did “High” hit you with that “Let Forever Be” crossover energy right away, or are you hearing a different late-’90s reference? And are you into Yan stepping further away from the Gesaffelstein chapter?
