M83 have just announced the forthcoming release of their latest album, Fantasy, a 13-track collection that finds band architect Anthony Gonzalez looking to his own past for inspiration. “I wanted this record to be very impactful live,” he says. “The idea was to come back with something closer to the energy of Before The Dawn Heals Us. The combination of guitars and synths is always in my music, but it’s maybe more present on this new record than on the previous ones.“
For our first glimpse into Fantasy‘s world, Gonzalez has shared “Oceans Niagara”, a joyous sprawl of bombastic synths and churning guitars that feels like we’re witnessing the refinement and reconstruction of their expansive sound, surging with cascading contours and euphoric revelations. It’s a proper introduction to the album and washes over you like some tidal wave in a continual cycle of release and resolution.
“Very proud to present the first track of my new album ‘Fantasy’. It’s called ‘Oceans Niagara’ and it’s the very first collaboration between my brother Yann Gonzalez and myself on a music video,” Gonzalez reveals. “I wanted to create this sense of friendship. Listening to that song, I imagine people running, driving fast, or riding spaceships together. It’s this sense of going forward, like a magic potion that you take to discover new worlds. Beyond Adventure!“
Director Yann Gonzalez adds: “‘Oceans Niagara’ is the perfect synthesis of M83’s music: a wall of sound and emotions that goes crescendo until it climaxes, with moments of pure melodic ecstasy that personally make me feel like I’m floating, loving and crying all at once, almost like being a teenager again. This is the first time I’m directing a music video for Anthony and this was a great chance for us to share our common references and emotions from our own childhood and teenage years with hints of our favorite French-Japanese animes, horror films and kid’s strange TV shows from the ‘80s and ‘90s.“
Watch the video below and check out the band’s upcoming tour dates as well.
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Tour Dates:
4/10/2023 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
4/11/2023 – Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater
4/13/2023 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre
4/14/2023 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
4/15/2023 – Houston, TX – The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall
4/16/2023 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
4/18/2023 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
4/19/2023 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern
4/21/2023 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall
4/22/2023 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
4/23/2023 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
4/25/2023 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
4/28/2023 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
4/29/2023 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY
4/30/2023 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
5/2/2023 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
5/3/2023 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
5/5/2023 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
5/6/2023 – Salt Lake City, UT – Ogden Amphitheater
5/8/2023 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
5/9/2023 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
5/10/2023 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
5/14/2023 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre
5/16/2023 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
M83’s Fantasy is due out March 17 via Mute (pre-order). Follow the band on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.