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Saturdays=Youth
M83’s latest captures excitement and emotions of adolescence
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Anthony Gonzalez, the man behind M83’s haunting sound, has proven himself on the electronic music scene with albums like Before the Dawn Heals Us and Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. His latest effort, Saturdays=Youth, has captured a longing for the excitement and emotions of adolescence. This November, Gonzalez brings his act back to New York during that season most associated with youth: autumn.
Formed in Antibes, France, in 2001 by Gonzalez and former bandmate Nicolas Fromageau, M83 quickly rose through the ranks of the electronic music world both in Europe and abroad, truly breaking out with the release of Before the Dawn Heals Us in 2005. Fromageau left prior to its debut after a taxing tour. M83 has only continued to grow, particularly with the release of Saturdays=Youth.
Saturdays=Youth marks a departure for M83’s sound. While it still relies heavily on synthesizers and whispered lyrics, this CD is decidedly pop. Past albums have dabbled in the abstract—like the 14-minute-long final track “Beauties Can Die” on Dead Cities…—and the uncomfortably thrilling—see “Car Chase Terror” on Before the Dawn Heals Us. But with the release of S=Y, a new sound emerges, and with a noteworthy change: ballads rather than a dependency on dreamlike instrumentals.
Singles like “Kim and Jessie,” which, according to Gonzalez, is about two teenage girls having a drug-induced experience, and “Graveyard Girl,” about a teen that longs to live in a cemetery, are anthems straight from ’80s new wave. This is not to say that the sound lacks originality; M83 is known for sophisticated arrangements and intense layering that transcend musical labels and generations, and they present a powerful live performance. The influence of the Cure, Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine can show up at any moment. Each track offers to transport the imagination to a place as far off as the galaxy the act is named after.
As the winter chill creeps in and the city gets ready to hibernate, an M83 show—with its fantastic lighting and quietly desperate arrangements—captures the anxiety and stoic beauty of the season ahead.