Zeds Dead and SNAILS Join Akylla on “Magnets”

“Magnets” pairs Zeds Dead and SNAILS with Akylla on vocals. Deadbeats and Slugz Music released the single on September 27, 2018. The single pairs an emotional vocal melody with heavy bass production, bringing together the Canadian electronic duo’s genre-crossing style and SNAILS’ aggressive low-end sound. Apple Music confirms the date and artist credits, while Qobuz lists the original recording and label details. Its 2018 debut also preceded SNAILS’ The Shell 2.0 tour.

How Zeds Dead and SNAILS built “Magnets” around Akylla’s vocals

The original release announcement called the record a romantic ballad for bass-music listeners, emphasizing the contrast between powerful drops and Akylla’s melodic vocal work. Its arrangement moves from sung passages into forceful electronic sections, with pronounced bass and percussion. That interplay reflects the musical strengths of all three credited artists rather than presenting the track as a remix of an existing single.

Qobuz lists its running time as four minutes and nineteen seconds and credits Zeds Dead and SNAILS as primary artists, with Akylla featured. The co-release credit is Deadbeats x Slugz Music.

The official Zeds Dead YouTube upload of “Magnets” was published on September 27, 2018, and credits SNAILS and Akylla in the title.

Melodic Vocals Meet Heavy Bass Production

The surprise of “Magnets” comes from its emotional direction. SNAILS had developed a following for his abrasive, experimental style often described as “Vomitstep,” so a love song was not necessarily what some listeners expected. The original announcement described a collaboration built around expressive vocals, staccato percussion and an intense bass drop.

Akylla’s presence gives the arrangement a clear melodic center. The duo’s organic vocal character contrasts with SNAILS’ aggressive sound design and Zeds Dead’s expansive electronic production. Instead of erasing those differences, the track moves between them, giving the music its sense of tension and release.

SNAILS explained in the original publicity material that the intention was to combine melodic writing and vocals with intense basslines. That statement helps contextualize the final sound without claiming that one performer was solely responsible for the composition. Official recording credits identify multiple songwriters associated with the release.

SNAILS took The Shell 2.0 on tour in 2018

The single arrived just ahead of SNAILS’ The Shell 2.0 North American tour, described at the time as a 52-date run. The campaign followed his The Shell: Remixes project and promoted a new stage concept incorporating holographic-style visuals developed with Beama Visuals.

The original itinerary began October 5, 2018, at Sluggtopia at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Other advertised dates took the production through cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Toronto, Boston, New York and Chicago before the December shows.

Support names from the original campaign included FuntCase, Kill the Noise, 12th Planet, Liquid Stranger, SVDDEN DEATH and others, varying by stop. In the context of 2018, “Magnets” was one part of a larger year for SNAILS and a release suited to the tour’s balance between intense bass production and more melodic moments.

Where “Magnets” fits in Zeds Dead’s catalog

For Zeds Dead, “Magnets” followed collaborations with several artists working in different corners of electronic music. Their 2016 debut studio album Northern Lights had already established their willingness to mix guest appearances with distinct production styles. SNAILS later included “Magnets” on his seven-track SLIMEAGEDDON EP, alongside “Redline” with Boogie T and “Snailephant” with Wooli.

Zeds Dead went on to develop additional album-length work, including Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness in March 2025.

Deadbeats, founded by the duo, and SNAILS’ Slugz Music were both associated with the release. Readers can explore the official Deadbeats artist page for broader catalog history and label information.

Listen to “Magnets” by Zeds Dead, SNAILS and Akylla

The official song is listed on Apple Music and Zeds Dead’s YouTube channel. The Qobuz release page provides the co-label credit and original track details. Zeds Dead also maintains its official Instagram page for artist announcements.