''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' (stylised as ) is the sixth studio album by French

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...

band M83. The album was released on 18 October 2011, by

Naïve Records Naïve Records is a French independent record label based in Paris, specializing in electronic music, pop music, jazz and classical music. Founding and expansion It was founded in 1998 by Patrick Zelnik, former CEO of Virgin France, Gilles Paire ...

in France and by

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grin ...

in the United States. The album was the last M83 album with keyboardist

Morgan Kibby Morgan Grace Kibby (born May 3, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and former actress based in Los Angeles, California. She is best known as a member and collaborator of the French electronic group M83 between 2008 and 201 ...

and the band's first full

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

. The album received generally favourable reviews from critics. It debuted at number 15 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 21,000 copies, making it M83's highest-charting album to date. It sold 300,000 copies in the United States as of March 2016. The album was nominated for

Best Alternative Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. H ...

at the

2013 Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET ...

and was ranked at number 134 on ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s" in October 2019.

Background and recording

Prior to recording ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'', M83 frontman Anthony Gonzalez moved from France to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, United States. Describing the move in an interview, Gonzalez said, "Having spent 29 years of my life in France, I moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

a year and a half before the making of this album and I was excited and inspired by so many different things: by the landscape, by the way of life, by live shows, by movies, by the road trips I took alone... I was feeling alive again and this is, I feel, something that you can hear on the album." Gonzalez's toured with

the Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

, and

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...

before recording, which influenced the album. As well, he was influenced by his road trips to

Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees (''Yucca brevifolia'') native to the Mojave Desert. Origin ...

. Gonzalez cited the ambitiousness of albums such as ''

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness ''Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on October 24, 1995, in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States on Virgin Records. Produced by ...

'' by

the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...

as the reason ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' was made a

. He described the two discs as brother and sister, with each track having a sibling on the other disc. Gonzalez created the album to remember his childhood. Gonzalez explained to ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

'' that ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' is "mainly about dreams, how everyone is different, how you dream differently when you're a kid, a teenager, or an adult. I'm really proud of it. If you're doing a very long album, all the songs need to be different and I think I've done that with this one." In an interview with ''

musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

'', he described the album as "a reflection of my 30 years as a human being" and something he dedicated to himself. The album was recorded in Los Angeles at

Sunset Sound Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the sprin ...

and

the Sound Factory The Sound Factory (also known as Sunset Sound Factory) is a recording studio in Los Angeles, California. The Sound Factory was built in the 1960s on Selma Avenue in Hollywood. At the time, it served as the home of Moonglow Records and the Moon ...

. Because of budget constraints and union issues, the string and brass players who contributed to the album were not paid and were credited with

pseudonyms A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

. The album features contributions from

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

Brad Laner Brad Laner (born November 6, 1966 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with the shoegaze band Medicine, which he founded and led. Prior to Medicine, he was involved in avant-improv ban ...

and

Zola Jesus Nika Roza Danilova (born Nicole Rose Hummel; April 11, 1989), known professionally by her stage name Zola Jesus, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her music has been noted for combining elements of electronic, industrial, ...

Style

Anthony Gonzalez compared ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' sound to two of his previous releases, describing it as a mix between the

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

used on '' Saturdays = Youth'' (2008) and the ambient of ''

Before the Dawn Heals Us ''Before the Dawn Heals Us'' is the third studio album by the French electronic group M83, released in January 2005 to positive reviews. The album was released on the Gooom label in Europe and on the Mute label in the United States. It was the ...

'' (2005). The album includes instruments previously unused by M83, such as the acoustic guitar, flute and saxophone. Critics have noted musical influences from 1980s artists, including

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize t ...

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for " Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United ...

, Peter Gabriel and

Harold Faltermeyer Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeier (born 5 October 1952) is a German musician, composer and record producer. Faltermeyer is best known for composing the "Axel F" theme for the feature film ''Beverly Hills Cop'', an influential synth-pop hit in the 1 ...

, as well as synth-pop band

Cut Copy Cut Copy (sometimes stylised as Cut/Copy) are an Australian synth-pop band formed in 2001 by Dan Whitford (vocals, keyboards and guitar). Originally a home-recording project, the band now includes Tim Hoey (guitars), Ben Browning (bass guitar), ...

Release

''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' was first teased on 23 June 2011 in a

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

video titled "Echoes...", which also announced dates for a North American tour. The album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

, "

Midnight City "Midnight City" is a song by French electronic music band M83. The track was first released in France on 16 August 2011, as the lead single from the group's sixth studio album, ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' (2011). The song was written by Anth ...

", premiered online on 19 July 2011, and was officially released on 16 August 2011. On 10 October 2011, the album became available to be streamed in its entirety on the

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, K ...

website. Urban Outfitters also hosted a simultaneous listening party at all of its stores the Saturday before ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' release. On 17 October 2011, the music video for "Midnight City" was released. The album was released on 18 October 2011, by

in France and by

in the United States. On 30 May 2012, a music video for the album's second single, "Reunion", was released. The video is a follow-up to the "Midnight City" music video. M83 released a music video for "Steve McQueen" on 25 October 2012. On 5 November 2012, a three-disc deluxe edition featuring remixes of "Midnight City", "Reunion" and "Steve McQueen" was announced. On 5 December 2012, a music video for "

Wait Wait or WAIT may refer to: Music * Wait (musician), British town pipers Albums and EPs * ''Wait'' (The Polyphonic Spree EP), by The Polyphonic Spree * ''Wait'' (Emanuel Nice EP), a 2002 EP released by the band Emanuel Nice * ''Wait'' (Stee ...

" was released. The album's closer " Outro" was used in the extended trailer for 2012 film ''

Cloud Atlas A cloud atlas is a pictorial key (or an atlas) to the nomenclature of clouds. Early cloud atlases were an important element in the training of meteorologists and in weather forecasting, and the author of a 1923 atlas stated that "increasing use ...

'' as well as other trailers and films over the following years.

Critical reception

''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100, derived from reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 76, based on 38 reviews. ''

''s Ian Cohen gave the album its "Best New Music" accolade, considering it the band's best record to date. Cohen also noted the reduction of the "heavily saturated synths" of Anthony Gonzalez's earlier work in favour of more accessible songs, adding that "the traditionally structured songs here are some of the most thrilling pop music released this year." Similarly, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

''s James Lachno felt that the album "finally fuses his innate ingenuity with an accessible, commercial edge." Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic praised the influence of 1980s music on the album, and called the record "near flawless, an essential distillation of the sounds of Gonzalez's youth, nostalgia and melancholy and happiness all mixed up into a sparkling pop stew."

Simon Price Simon Price (born 25 September 1967) is a British music journalist and author. He is known for his weekly review section in ''The Independent on Sunday'' and his book ''Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers)''. Career Writer Pric ...

of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' called the album "a towering city of sparkling synth edifices simultaneously summoning the best of the 1980s ( New Order,

The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

) and the current breed ( The Knife,

Empire of the Sun ''Empire of the Sun'' is a 1984 novel by English writer J. G. Ballard; it was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story "The Dead Time" (published in the anthology ...

)". '' Under the Radar''s Laura Studarus described ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' as a "remarkable accomplishment" and a "double album of stunningly ambitious, synth-soaked dreams". Jamie Crossan of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' compared the album's "guileless and dreamy" nature to the title character of the 1943 novella ''

The Little Prince ''The Little Prince'' (french: Le Petit Prince, ) is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 an ...

'' and admitted that this comparison would be "quite a bold statement to make, but this is an album of equal valor." Reef Younis of

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

felt that while "some consistency may have been sacrificed in favor of a space-filling selection of tracks, this set still represents a heaving, breathing journey through the introspective and the bombastic, the striving and the exhaustive. It is the undeniable sound of one man's triumphant dreams." Heather Phares of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

wrote that while the album "may not be quite as striking as '' Saturdays = Youth'', it delivers a welcome mix of classic sounds and promising changes." David Marchese of ''

'' felt that ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' is "full of goose-bump moments", but that the "lack of something as enjoyably plain (and relatively calm) as ' Kim & Jessie'... makes Gonzalez's insistence on oversize emotions feel a tad restrictive." In a similarly mixed review, Timothy Gabriele of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' criticised M83 for "focusing too much on magnitude throughout and too little on depth" on the album, but noted that the "totality of sound" on the album "has a way of blinding even the most critical listener to the problems that underline many of the album's lesser songs". ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

''s Christian Williams found the album underwhelming, writing, "for an album of such impressive scale and nanoscopic attention to detail, leaves a surprisingly light impression." Kevin Liedel of '' Slant Magazine'' criticised the album for rehashing sounds from earlier M83 albums and felt that it sounded "much more like an M83 wannabe's poor imitation than the real deal."

Accolades

''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' appeared on several end-of-year lists. ''

Filter Filter, filtering or filters may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream * Filter (video), a software component tha ...

'' named it the best album of 2011. '' Paste'' named the album as the ninth best album of 2011, writing "As with everything the Frenchman's done so far, the album is lush and ably produced, crescendo after crescendo." ''

'' named it the third best album of 2011, with Jayson Greene writing: "''Hurry Up We're Dreaming'' doesn't just draw liberally from the spirit of the massive rock albums Gonzalez name-checked, it practically swallows them whole, regurgitating and redistributing them into something listeners from every corner of the music universe can hear a piece of their lives in." ''

Popmatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' ranked the album as number five on its list of "The 75 Best Albums of 2011", while ''

'' ranked the album number 19 on its end-of-year list. Online music retailer

eMusic eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. In exchange for a monthly subscription eMusic users can download a fixed number of MP3 tracks per month. eMusic was established in 1998, is headquartered in New York C ...

ranked the album number two on its "Best Albums of 2011" list. The

" was singled out for praise. ''Paste'' named it the second-best song of the year. ''

'' named it the best song of 2011, with Ryan Reed writing: "On this transcendent standout ..Anthony Gonzalez and co-synth-scientist

Justin Meldal-Johnsen Justin Meldal-Johnsen (born March 26, 1970) is an American musician, record producer, songwriter and musical director. He is best known for his work with artists such as Beck, Paramore, Nine Inch Nails, M83, Air, and St. Vincent. Meldal-Johns ...

build layer upon layer of keys, arena-sized drums, and vocal atmospherics (not mentioning one of the tastiest sax solos this side of a Springsteen record). The result? The synth

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

Tour

Prior to touring for ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'', Anthony Gonzalez posted an open audition on M83's website for a multi-instrumentalist who could play guitar, bass and keyboards to join him on tour. Jordan Lawlor of

Sparta Township, New Jersey Sparta is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 19,600, reflecting a decrease of 122 (−0.6%) from the 2010 United States Census, when the township's population was 19, ...

was hired from the audition. The tour for the album began in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

on 15 October 2011 and ended on 1 December 2011 in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

. The second leg of the tour began on 12 January 2012 in Los Angeles and was set to end on 8 August 2012 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, but was later extended, ending in London on 8 November 2012. During the second leg, M83 performed at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on 13 and 20 April, at the St Jerome's Laneway Festival in Australia and New Zealand, and at Lollapalooza in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Track listing

Original release

All music is composed by Anthony Gonzalez. Additional music is composed by

. Additional lyrics by Yann Gonzalez,

and

Deluxe edition

Deluxe edition disc three # "Midnight City" (Eric Prydz Private remix) # "Midnight City" (Trentemøller remix) # "Midnight City" (Team Ghost remix) # "Reunion" (Mylo remix) # "Reunion" (Sei A remix) # "Reunion" (White Sea remix) # "Steve McQueen" (Maps remix) # "Steve McQueen" (BeatauCue remix)

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming''.

Musicians

* Anthony Gonzalez – lead vocals ; background vocals ; keyboards ; programming ; electric guitar ; vocals ; piano ; orchestral arrangements, conducting ; snaps ; claps ; synthesizer *

– lead vocals *

– background vocals ; monologue *

– keyboards ; programming ; electric guitar ; bass guitar ; acoustic guitar ; snaps ; claps ; percussion ; recorders ; mandolin * Loïc Maurin – drums ; snaps ; claps ; percussion * Joey Waronker – orchestral percussion ; electronic drums, percussion * The Orphans String and Brass Orchestra – orchestra *

Joseph Trapanese Joseph Trapanese (born 1984) is an American composer, arranger, and producer. He works in the production of music for films, television, records, theater, concerts, and interactive media. Early life and education Raised in Jersey City, New Jers ...

– orchestral arrangements, conducting * James King – saxophone ; flute, baritone saxophone * Gabriel Johnson – trumpet *

– background vocals ; lead vocals *

Lyle Workman Lyle Dean Workman is an American guitarist, composer, session and touring musician, and music producer. His music has been widely distributed since his debut on the eponymous '' Bourgeois Tagg'' album in 1986, and is known for his work as compos ...

– acoustic guitar ;

tiple A tiple (, literally treble or soprano), is a plucked typically 12-string chordophone of the guitar family. A tiple player is called a ''tiplista''. The first mention of the tiple comes from musicologist Pablo Minguet e Irol in 1752. Although ma ...

; banjo, mandolin ;

Marxophone The Marxophone is a fretless zither played via a system of metal hammers. It features two octaves of double melody strings in the key of C major (middle C to C''), and four sets of chord strings (C major, G major, F major, and D7). Sounding s ...

* The Purple Mixed Adult Choir – background vocals ; claps * Zelly Boo Meldal-Johnsen – monologue * The Shakespeare Bridge Children's Choir – snaps, claps ; background vocals * John Graney – whistle * Chelsea Alden – monologue * Patrick Warren – piano * Amy White – background vocals * Lydie Benzakin – monologue * Toni Kasza – The Shakespeare Bridge Children's Choir direction

Technical

– production, engineering * Anthony Gonzalez – production *

Tony Hoffer Tony Hoffer is an American record producer, songwriter, and music mixer. Career Hoffer is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air. His records have bee ...

– mixing * Antoine Gaillet – mixing * Todd Burke – engineering * Mike Schuppan – additional engineering, engineering assistance * Graham Hope – engineering assistance * Cameron Lister – engineering assistance * Dave Cooley – mastering

Artwork

* Anthony Gonzalez – art direction, design * Anouck Bertin – art direction, design, photography * Ashkahn Shahparnia – sleeve layout * Shane Konen – sleeve layout

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' on M83's official website

''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' premiere
{{Authority control 2011 albums Albums produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen Albums recorded at Electro-Vox Recording Studios Albums recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders M83 (band) albums Mute Records albums Naïve Records albums