Utopia

Led by husband-and-wife duo South Africa-born Jean-Philip Grobler and Germany-born Patti Beranek, the group retreat from a fractured world on fire and into the glow of a rapturous synth-spiked electro-pop catharsis-akin to a dance party at the edge of existence. On the aptly titled Utopia album, St. Lucia beams out a light of their own and shines brighter than ever. "In a way, this is my personal rebellion against the darkness of the world," states Jean-Philip. "From the beginning, the name St. Lucia came from me making escapist music. In South Africa, there's a place called St. Lucia, and it's similar to the island in the Caribbean because it's where you escape. It's utopia. There are many ideas of utopia, whether it means virus-free or a virtual tech utopia. It's easy to feel depressed these days, so I'm trying to bring something joyous to the world. I was sick of seeing stuff on the Internet, and I just wanted to feel good. That's what being human is about. We have to feel alive, no matter what is happening around us."