Tove Lo exploding

FLIPPING THEIR LIDS: Island/IDJ has an exploding viral phenomenon with “Stay High,” Cali brother duo Hippie Sabotage’s remix of the single “Habits” from Tove Lo, which, since it appeared on SoundCloud six months ago, has spawned nearly 6.5m listens and a ton of much-viewed flip videos concocted by EDM aspirants with YouTube handles like MrSuicideSheep, electro posé and Chillcloud—essentially interactive visual “remixes” of the remix. You got that so far? The Swedish pop singer started gaining steam early last year with the original release of “Habits,” which Time recently described as “a sparkler of a debut single that plumbed the depths of post-relationship blues. Drinks, drugs, piles of Twinkies, illicit playground hookups: no coping mechanism was beyond her reach.” “Stay High” is on Tove Lo’s debut EP, Truth Serum, which came out on 3/4, and it’s flying up the iTunes Alternative chart—last time we looked it was about to crack the Top 10. The official remix and its many clones all feature the original track’s stratospheric chorus hook, which is what will ultimately be the catapult that propels this puppy into the upper reaches of the Pop charts. But it’s starting with the EDM kids, who seem determined to stay one step ahead of the mainstream, which then inevitably Hoovers up the most compelling confections—and this cut is undeniably a prime example. Keep your eye on it. (3/19a)