M83, AKA Anthony Gonzales, has revealed details of the long awaited follow up to 2008’s Saturdays = Youth, which saw the French producer achieve commercial success with singles such as ‘Graveyard Girl’ and ‘Kim and Jessie’ . He’s also more ambitious with the forthcoming follow up to the eighties influenced predecessor which is set for release in October, revealing that it will be a double album.
“It’s a double album,” Gonzalez says, although he also uses the dreaded ‘C’ word, saying that it’ll also be a ‘conceptual album’. “It’s mainly about dreams, how every one is different, how you dream differently when you’re a kid, a teenager, or an adult. I’m really proud of it. If you’re doing a very long album, all the songs need to be different and I think I’ve done that with this one. Overall, it’s pop — and very epic. Anyone who loved M83 before, they’ll love this album even more. People that hated me, they’re going to hate this, too.”
Gonzales has left his native Antibes in France, and moved to Los Angeles, where he’s also dabbled in soundtracks, something he hopes to further pursue once the promotion and touring for the new album winds up. However, in the meantime, while undertaking a gruelling period of touring for he’s found his metre as a vocalist, saying “All the vocals on older records was very quiet and whispery. This time, I feel more like a singer, even if I’m not a great singer. There’s so much improvement in my vocals. People will be surprised.”
He won’t be taking he lion’s share of the vocals, however, revealing that Zola Jesus and Brad Laner from Medicine, the 90s cult noise-pop and Beck and Nine Inch Nails’ bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen will also be contributing vocals.
