M83

DSVII

Its follow-up to 2007’s Digital Shades, Vol. 1 is decidedly richer and fuller in sound and substance, giving evidence of frontman Anthony Gonzalez’s growth as an artist and as a person.

DSVII is meant to be listened to as one piece, rather than dissected into its smaller, equal parts. As you move along the album, it becomes clear that the characters are the listeners. It is up to us to decide the story that we wish to tell. Gonzalez is simply there to guide us along.

Released 12 years after Digital Shades Vol. 1, M83’s new collection of instrumentals doubles as a playful tribute to classic video-game soundtracks.

It's on these longer, wide-angle tracks that the album really shines, and fans who thought the stricter pop playbook Gonzalez has been using recently was perhaps too strict should find much to like in these more open-ended pieces.

It's a soothing and inspiring listen, especially for fans who love vintage sounds and period details as much as Gonzalez does.

While it still doesn’t feel like a proper follow-up to Junk, DSVII remains a cohesive, intriguing sonic detour for M83, even if certain moments are more engaging and captivating than others.

M83's follow-up to 2007's ambient collection Digital Shades Vol. 1 lacks the ingenuity of his pioneering predecessors' output and the thrill-ride wonder of the genres he set out to salute.

While these tracks aren’t necessarily bad by any definition, they certainly lack the charisma that M83 is known for.

Its 15 instrumental tracks do provide a pinch of mythical fun, but the album is too restless to convincingly evoke the starry-eyed longing of the band’s best work.

Unfortunately, DSVII —like Junk— looks backward without bringing anything new to the table.