M83’s ‘Epic’ New Album Inspired by ‘80s American Sitcoms Is Finished

While promoting a new collection of remixes and B-sides this past fall, M83 revealed they’re working on a follow-up to 2011’s critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Now, collaborator Justin Meldal-Johnsen has revealed that album is finished:

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, M83 leader Anthony Gonzalez described the forthcoming LP -- which is expected sometime next year -- as “eclectic” and “epic.”

“It’s a very strong album with a lot of eclecticism,” Gonzalez said. “It’s very epic. There’s a lot of different genres that are not supposed to live together but I tried to make them live together, which is quite challenging.”

But fans shouldn’t expect a sequel to Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming: “It’s also quite different from the previous albums which is what I’m most proud of.”

The 2011 full-length could be blissfully weird, and it sounds as though Gonzalez still has the unexpected up his sleeve -- the band's latest outing is apparently inspired by ‘70s and ‘80s American television shows like Punky Brewster and Who’s the Boss? “I feel like TV shows are starting to sound and look the same," Gonzalez said. "There’s no more passion anymore. So this album is a tribute to those old-fashioned shows.”

Gonzalez and company will embark on a handful of tour dates -- including a series of festival appearances -- starting this summer. The jaunt kicks off in June at the Dover, Del.-based Firefly Festival, which runs from June 16-19. Then they will make stops in Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Finland and Sweden. Check out the complete schedule at the bottom of the page.

In October, M83 released Saturdays = Youth: Remixes and B-Sides, gathering reworks and non-album tracks from the band’s 2008 full-length of the same name. The following month, the band reissued that album in its original form and 2007’s Digital Shades.

M83 Tour
June 16-19: Dover, Delaware - Firefly Festival
July 7-8: Bilbao, Spain - Bilbao BBK Live
July 9: Lisbon, Portugal - NOS Alive
Aug. 10-17: Budapest, Hungary - Sziget Fest
Aug. 12-14: Helsinki, Finland - Flow Festival Helsinki
Aug. 11-13: Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West Fest