Classic Review: M83’s “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” Turns 10

TL; DR: This album builds off the blueprint of 80s synthpop to bring a really cool, sprawling, movie soundtrack-type album that I really enjoy. It holds up a decade later. 8/10 

Hey! Happy Thursday. How are you? How was your week? Cool. 

So, as the title suggests, this is the first of many classic album reviews here at MIG. Yes, this 2011 album is considered a “classic” now. You are old. 

Before we get too deep into it, don’t forget to subscribe in the top right corner, send this around to some folks you think would like it, follow me on Twitter, all that jazz. 

Okay, cool, that’s out of the way. Let’s talk about this synthpop masterwork, starting with some context.

“Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” came out on October 18, 2011. It’s the sixth studio album from M83, but the band’s first full-length double album. It’s got a couple of REALLY recognizable songs on there, “Midnight City” and “Wait.” 

If I had to describe the album briefly, it’s kind of like looking out at a sprawling landscape of neon lights, if that makes sense. It has a cinematic feel to it, with triumphant percussion and long, complex synth progressions. There’s been plenty of visual art centered around a futuristic motif, and this is its audio equivalent.

In a 2015 article from Exclaim, founding member Anthony Gonzales says the album was supposed to be “written like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie with different ambiences, different atmospheres, different tempos, different orchestrations and different instrumentation." This is the perfect description, which makes sense because, y’know, he composed it.

Gonzalez, even before the release of this album, had a reputation for creating these massive projects. It seems like every one of M83’s projects was larger than the last, and “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” - a double album full of long tracks - is no different.

This album’s timing is perfect. It seems like that short period in the early 2010s was when people missed the 80s the most, and this album capitalizes on that. It gives proper love and acknowledgement to the 80s synthpop vibe, while building on it impressively.

The album’s synth songwriting clearly stems from a love of the era’s music, and his long list of producers, collaborators and influences are tied to countless iconic 80s groups like Cocteau Twins and Kraftwerk. 

M83 spent the majority of 2010, AKA the period right before the release of “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming,” touring with Depeche Mode. You can hear it in the record.

Gonzalez clearly has a love for not just 80s music, but music in general. In that same Exclaim article, he says he’s dreamed of making a double album since he first heard the Smashing Pumpkins' “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” 

It’s always nice when you can pick out a musician’s influences, especially if they’re the kinds of influences you also enjoy.

There are a few moments in this album that are really, really memorable: The saxophone at the end of “Midnight City,” the catchy ebbs and flows of “Steve McQueen,” and the Tron-esque electronic boom at the end of “My Tears Are Becoming a Sea” are a few things I will always remember from this album, and had a really good time hearing again as a prepared to write this review.

There are also a few moments that drag. Like any movie soundtrack, there are the tracks that don’t really stick out. It’s bound to happen in 22 tracks over almost 74 minutes of runtime, so it’s not necessarily a ding on the album’s quality to have some slower tracks that drag just a bit. 

To Gonzalez’s credit, it’s really hard to make an album this long while keeping it this interesting. Kudos for making a 22-track album where a large majority of the tracks keep a listener’s attention.

I normally really focus on the lyrics when I listen through a piece of music, but the lyrics really seem secondary here. There’s just so much going on musically, that the occasional lyrical passages don’t really grab a listener’s attention. In this case, I’m alright with it. 

Something made mention of in the Pitchfork review of this record, a point that I really like, is that there aren’t any sort of chart-topping or commercial implications with this album or its lyrics. Gonzalez really doesn’t care about selling you something, which was especially rare in the 2011 pop scene.

I’d like to give special mention to “Steve McQueen,” though, as its lyrics actually contribute to the overall message of the song. Take some time to listen to this track. While not as iconic as “Midnight City,” it may just be slightly better.

Instrumentally, if you couldn’t tell already, this album is a triumph. Gonzalez plays a myriad of different instruments, and his expertise shines through this entire album. I call “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” a synthpop record and an 80s throwback, but there’s a lot more to it than most 80s synth albums.

Sure, Gonzalez has the benefit of better technology and quality, but he also builds around the synth. It’s the primary driver of every song, but it’s not the only thing keeping it going.

I don’t normally get into technical stuff like mixing, but this album’s sound quality is overall fantastic. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that most of the sounds are electronic, but the balance between each individual instrument and the vocals is really nice, and it seems like a lot of care was put into that part of the process.

Overall, I think this album has held up over the past 10 years. While we’re not under the cultural influence of 80s nostalgia nearly as much anymore, there’s still a place in the modern pop space for synthpop music like this. I wish there was more of it.

I don’t often like listening to movie soundtracks or heavily atmospheric/instrumental stuff, so the fact that I enjoy this album as much as I did should tell you that it’s worth listening to. (If you trust my opinion, which I guess you do? Since you read this?

10 years later, “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” holds up, and has probably even gotten better. 

Unfortunately, M83 has not. I’ve spoken highly of Gonzalez through this piece, and I still think M83’s later records are worth listening to, but for now, this album seems to be his musical peak. It’s not a bad thing, everyone has to hit it somewhere, but I’m still holding out hope that the next M83 project is as great as this one is.

I’d like to give a brief shoutout to Gannon Hanevold, a really close friend of mine and an intern at the Phoenix New Times. He loves this record, and is part of the reason that I chose to take a look at it today.

He wanted to contribute some words to this review, but couldn’t find the time in his busy schedule. I just want you to know that he loves it, and I think it’s his favorite physical vinyl that he owns.

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for you today, but here’s a playlist with everything mentioned in this review, this entire 74-minute album, and some catchy-ass synthpop.

Next Monday is Mailbag Monday, so you can submit your questions to me in the comments section below, or through any of my social media DMs. 

Here’s the first mailbag, if you want to know what questions I’ve already answered/the vibes on the questions I like to choose.

Thanks, again, for reading. The fact that I’ve written 22 of these things is actually kind of insane, because I rarely stick with anything this long. I’m really hoping this is something I can stick with for a long time, and I’m so grateful for the support/feedback I get from readers, friends, and family.

Alright, that’s enough. Have a good weekend. Peace.