M83’s tenth studio album, I Wrote You a Letter, departs from Anthony Gonzalez’s typical cinematic grandeur. Released September 25 on Other Suns, the nine-track record revisits M83’s early, largely instrumental style to recapture the spontaneity of his first recordings.
Rather than delivering M83’s typical sweeping climaxes and synth nostalgia, I Wrote You a Letter deliberately disorients with a quieter, hazier, and more abstract soundscape. Opener ‘Blister Sunrise’ shifts Kaela Sinclair’s vocals and familiar synth swells into abrasive distortion and ambient textures.
‘Opera’ spans seven minutes of drifting analogue synths, while ‘Siren / Behold… Beasts’ brings unpredictable instrumentation and ‘Aged’ offers dreamlike orchestration. Eschewing the huge climaxes of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, these fragments make I Wrote You a Letter feel abstract and unmapped. Key moments include intimate piano on ‘Heart Motion Foto’ and ‘Feeding Time’, which is reminiscent of 2003’s Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Though non-traditional structures can feel like unfinished score sketches, Gonzalez trades M83’s signature scale and crescendos for an experimental collection of moods and scenes.
For listeners open to this direction, I Wrote You a Letter provides rich rewards. Though lacking the monumental climaxes of M83’s most famous works, its intimate moments showcase Gonzalez embracing imperfection and instinct.
Listen to I Wrote You A Letter:
