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M83 makes music that sounds like the end credits of the best movie you have ever seen. Anthony Gonzalez’s project blends shoegaze guitars, 1980s synthesizers, dream pop and film-score grandeur into something deeply emotional. “Midnight City” made M83 famous, but the full catalog rewards anyone who loves big, beautiful sound.
M83 at a glance
Formed
2001, Antibes, France
Founder
Anthony Gonzalez (co-founded with Nicolas Fromageau)
Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau began recording together in Antibes on the French Riviera, naming the project after a spiral galaxy. Their early albums built huge walls of synthesizer and guitar noise. Fromageau left after the second album, and M83 became Gonzalez’s vision, often with collaborators such as Morgan Kibby.
The albums
M83 (2001)
A raw, ambient electronic debut.
Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (2003)
The critical breakthrough, merging shoegaze and electronic music. “Run into Flowers” is the standout.
Before the Dawn Heals Us (2005)
Bigger and more dramatic, with “Don’t Save Us from the Flames” and “Teen Angst.”
Saturdays = Youth (2008)
A love letter to 1980s teen movies and dream pop. “Kim & Jessie” and “We Own the Sky” are fan favorites.
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (2011)
A sprawling double album and M83’s commercial peak. “Midnight City,” with its yelping synth hook and saxophone finale, became one of the defining songs of the decade. “Reunion,” “Wait” and “Outro” became fixtures in film and TV.
Junk (2016)
A playful, retro-pop detour with “Do It, Try It.”
DSVII (2019)
An ambient, instrumental sequel to an earlier side project.
Fantasy (2023)
A return to grand, emotional dream pop, recorded with a live band. Start with “Oceans Niagara.”
Film and television
Gonzalez’s cinematic instincts led to film work, including the score for Oblivion (2013) with Joseph Trapanese and music for his brother Yann Gonzalez’s films. M83 songs have appeared in countless trailers and TV shows.
Legacy
M83 helped bring shoegaze textures and 1980s synths into mainstream alternative music and influenced synthwave, indie electronic and cinematic pop. They sit naturally between The Midnight, Future Islands and The Cure on our airwaves, and “Midnight City” appears on our Electronic Rock Top 20.
About this article: Written and fact-checked by The Alternative One editorial team, the programmers and music writers behind the station’s on-air shows. Official artist website: ilovem83.com. Last reviewed October 2, 2026. Read our editorial standards or tell us about a correction.
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