DJ Snake Scours the Globe to Curate Third Studio Album, “Nomad”: Listen

Snake’s scintillating third album features collaborations with Travis Scott and Future, J Balvin, Stray Kids and more.

Get your passport ready.

DJ Snake is back with his third studio album, Nomad, a 17-track collection born out of his travels and experiences around the globe. It’s his first full-length album in over six years, and it proves that dance music has no boundaries or genre restrictions.

To fully understand the conception of Nomad, we must look back to the early days of Snake and the cultural fabric that ignited his passion for electronic music. “I grew up surrounded by people from India, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East,” he said in a statement. “That mix shaped everything I heard. Nomad is a tribute to that upbringing… always moving, always learning, always blending what the world has to offer.”

“Nomad goes beyond an album tracklist. It’s a cultural statement.”

The album functions as a microcosm of the many of diverse cultures and backgrounds that have firmly positioned his versatility as an artist. But more than that, it showcases his never-ending hunger to pursue artistic growth and chase the sounds that make Snake who he is: dance music’s own sommelier, pairing sounds and rhythms in a way that appeals to tastes we didn’t know we had.

Ease into Nomad with “Paradise,” a rework of Phil Collin’s 1989 classic “Another day in Paradise.” Snake reunites with his “Middle” collaborator Bipolar Sunshine, who delivers aching vocals that explore the familiar pang of longing in the face of loneliness: “She comes home at the start of the night / All her fears turn to anger / Takes her phone out before she can cry / Just to find someone near her.”

Snake turns things up a bit with “Noventa,” teaming up again with his “Loco Contigo” collaborator J Balvin to cook up all the ingredients needed for the sort of sultry summer stunner whose title derives from the Spanish and Portuguese word for “ninety.” Evoking nostalgic 90s elements, Latin-inspired street sounds set the tone with a bassline that can’t be ignored and causes an unconscious head-bob.

More star power comes with “Tsunami,” a massive track with collaborators that need no introduction. Future and Travis Scott team up to spit verses that bring the hype while Snake delivers a melody that resembles a circus on Halloween eve. Future kicks off with his signature cadence before Snake slithers in with a woozy beat reminiscent of “SICKO MODE” and “STARGAZING.”

Elsewhere, he dials up the energy with “BRING THE HOUSE DOWN” and “RELOADED,” both of which harken back to Snake’s side project, THE OUTLAW. The former brings the bass and resurrects his chemistry with “Get Low” co-producer Dillion Francis alongside breakout dubstep producer TRXGGX. The latter finds him joining forces with the virtuosic producer Space Laces to rework Marlyn Manson’s 2003 metal anthem “This Is the New Shit,” packing a punch with wonky trap and dubstep elements before the track’s second drop sends you skyward into the stratosphere.

“Cairo Express” brings the Middle Eastern energy right from the jump with a bassline and melody that transport you directly into the streets of an Egyptian night. “KIKI2000” is destined to be a festival-favorite, with an earworm of a lead synth and chest-thumping bass.

The album slow things down a bit with “In The Dark,” a long-awaited collaboration with K-pop sensation Stray Kids. The track hypnotizes with its vapory, synthwave-inspired beat and lyrics evoking those nostalgic summer nights chasing love late-night around town.

Snake ties a bow on Nomad with “Final Fantasy,” a collaboration with his OUTLAW alias. This track crackles with a rising tension, foreshadowing the heavy-hitting drop we all know is coming. Finally, the energy boils over into blistering hardstyle drops before we’re brought down to earth through a haunting coda that serves as a respite to decompress the mayhem you’ve just experienced.

You can listen to Nomad below and find the new album on streaming platforms here.