Zedd vs. Avicii – Battle of the Beats

Zedd lovers have managed to overcome Icona Pop's loyal listeners, with 'Clarity' gaining more than 59% of the fan votes in last week's Battle of the Beats against 'I Love It.' This mean that Zedd will advance to another week of competition, so congratulations to all of the readers who voted and to Zedd, of course.

For the next seven days, EDM fans will duke it out in our Battle of the Beats poll, voting for their favorite between two choice songs. This week, Zedd's 'Clarity' will take on Avicii's brand-new single 'Wake Me Up,' which features vocals from 'I Need a Dollar' soul man Aloe Blacc.

On 'Clarity,' Zedd constructs an exhilarating beat that, like most EDM fare, builds and swells before the punchy hook of "Hey-ay's" kicks in. Featured vocalist Foxes changes up the tempo of her lyrics to fit the composition, from soft and delicate opening notes to strong belting on the chorus, where she sings, "If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy? / If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?" It's a relatable topic for listeners, and the beat is easily digested by EDM rookies and genre fanatics alike.

Meanwhile, Avicii is straying from the typical EDM sound with the Aloe Blacc-featured track 'Wake Me Up.' His first single since 'Levels,' the song opens with some folk-inspired guitar strumming with Blacc's smooth-as-silk vocals in the forefront. As the chorus starts, where Blacc sings, "So wake me up when it's all over / When I'm wiser and I'm older / All this time I was finding myself / And I didn't know I was lost," you start to hear more of the digitized sounds that you'd associate with Avicii, although this folk-electro-soul fusion is definitely one of the more unique EDM tracks out there.

So, which song do you like best? Zedd's 'Clarity,' or Avicii's 'Wake Me Up'? You can vote once per hour below until the poll closes on June 27 at 3PM EST.

Watch the Zedd 'Clarity' Video Feat. Foxes

Listen to Avicii, 'Wake Me Up' Feat. Aloe Blacc

Rules for Battle of the Beats: The artist and song with the most votes wins, and the winner goes on to face a different challenger the following week. If an artist wins four weeks in a row, they will be retired into the Battle of the Beats Hall of Fame in order to give others a chance to compete.