In 2012, electropop duo Purple Crush continued to promote their Welcome 2 The Underground EP, releasing two videos (including The Dark Crystal-inspired “New Me”), a shimmering remix of “Loverboy” by Daisy O’Dell, and touring the Pacific Northwest.

Isla Cheadle and Jared Selter also recorded Fischerspooner’s “Emerge,” paying tribute to their shared roots in the New York underground scene of the early aughts. Later, these avowed Madonna acolytes covered a trio of her singles for the MadonnaWannaBe EP, a project that coincided with seeing the Queen of Pop in concert for the very first time. (Purple Crush’s “Lucky Star” revamp shines brightly at #16 on Popservations’ Top 25 Cover Songs of 2012.)

Continuing Popservations’ year-end artist series, check out what Purple Crush pumped in 2012 when they weren’t busy with their own music. Plus, read about their most memorable moments of the past year and what the duo has on deck for 2020.

Purple Crush’s 5 Favorite Tracks/EPs of 2012:

Frank Ocean – “Pyramids”
Isla: “Popservations and Purple Crush have not met eye to eye on this one [Ed. Note: I feel Ocean is overrated], but here is why we love Ocean: his storytelling. His songs weave melodic stories that harken back to Prince. On top of his writing skills, Ocean also told a powerful story when he opened his personal life to the public by revealing his sexuality. When we’ve needed to listen to something of quality, his album Channel ORANGE has been the only constant this year.”

Simian Mobile Disco – Unpatterns EP
Jared: “Serious dance music roots are exposed here. A nod to the ’90s but this one will probably always sound good as time goes on. It’s simple, but with enough twists to really keep you interested. Pretty DJ-able too.”

LE1F – “Wut”
Isla: “This is one that is near and dear to our hearts. Back in 2006, LE1F hunted us down on Myspace while still in high school, and as a fellow trained dancer, he and I developed a very close friendship. This year, he exploded onto the music sphere with his mixtape Dark York (the lead single, “Wut”) and blew open the barrier obstructing outness in hip-hop. We have witnessed firsthand the effect he has had on the hip-hop community, especially children, and my heart is exploding with purple joy. I’m still finding lyrical mind-boggling gems in Dark York. It is worth many listens.”

LOL Boys – Changes EP
Jared: “The title song from this EP was stuck in my head for weeks on end. And I believe in its message as well. Also, this stuff is pretty jazzy, and I’m always a fan of jazziness.”

Sia – “Diamonds”
Isla: “I say Sia because every time I hear Rihanna sing this, I feel like I’m hearing Sia’s demo that RiRi, I felt, had mimicked (she makes guttural sounds we’ve never heard from her before). When a YouTube video of Sia singing the song surfaced, it confirmed my suspicions. Spectacular.”

AND ALSO: My Bloody Valentine – EP’s 1988-1991 (Import)

Jared: “One of my favorite bands from the ’90s. Re-release of some of their more ambient EPs plus some great unreleased tracks. Two CDs’ worth of that kind of hum these guys create. Seems like one perpetual MBV song. And that’s not bad.”

Memorable moments from 2012:

Isla: “Opening for Leslie and the Lys with the Blow Pony crew, performing on the Mural Stage at the Seattle Center for Seattle Pride with my dad in the crowd (a stage Jared and I grew up watching bands perform on), seeing Madonna’s MDNA tour, and getting interviewed at Logo TV on our trip home to NY this fall — their offices are purple!”

Coming in 2020:

Isla: “We are working hard on a mixtape called Top of the World, which is really an album without boundaries. We are approaching the end of the world and when that is over, we’ll be at the top of a new world. This release is a melting pot, I’m rapping a lot, a throwback to our blog haus days. We’re also putting songs on it that thematically and sonically ‘go there.’ In the next month or so, we’ll also be shooting a video for our single ‘Little Bitch’ that was made in collaboration with the beloved DJ Josh Peace. It will be an entertaining who’s who of the L.A. scene.”

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Always brewing up something new, Purple Crush dropped the Bitch EP last Friday. A free download, the four-track set includes the aforementioned Josh Peace remix of “Little Bitch.”

Read more entries from Popservations’ year-end artist series, featuring 2012 favorites as picked by Queen of Hearts, Bright Light Bright Light, and others here.