M83 have shared “Blister Sunrise,” the first single from Anthony Gonzalez’s forthcoming 10th studio album, I Wrote You a Letter. The record, which M83 announced back in July, arrives September 25th via Gonzalez’s Other Suns label.
“Blister Sunrise” serves as an exciting first look at what Gonzalez has in store. The song begins with a wash of crashing synths that seem to climb higher and higher up a sonic cliffside as layers of distortion pile on, gradually swelling into the widescreen crescendo M83 is known for. It’s dreamy and cinematic, but there’s a rougher shoegaze weight underneath it that eventually gives way to a light, raw piano composition, taking all the time it desires to find its end.
Album Background
The sound fits with Gonzalez’s newly revealed approach to I Wrote You a Letter. Written from demos he began making in the summer of 2024, the album grew out of a desire to work more instinctively and rediscover some of the looseness of M83’s earliest recordings.
“This record reflects my state of mind over the past few years,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “I’m deeply disillusioned by the world we’re living in. I wanted something less calculated, more spontaneous. More punk, in a way.”
The sessions also reunited Gonzalez with Benoît de Villeneuve, whose history with M83 dates back to Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Gonzalez also brought Jean-Philippe Talaga — M83’s original designer and the founder of Goom, the label that first released the project — to create the album artwork.
Album Details
Rather than stick to one particular chapter of M83’s past, I Wrote You a Letter moves between guitars, shadowy electronics, ambient passages, and fractured pop, with Gonzalez allowing elements of his earlier work to bleed into something less polished or predictable but more free.
The nine-track album follows M83’s 2023 full-length Fantasy. In the years since, Gonzalez has also composed the score for the 2025 sci-fi film Resurrection.
Listen to “Blister Sunrise” below. I Wrote You a Letter is out September 25th and can be pre-ordered here.
I Wrote You a Letter Artwork:
I Wrote You a Letter Tracklist:
01. Blister Sunrise
02. Opera
03. Siren / Behold… Beasts
04. Aged
05. Losing Ground
06. Soldiers of Lust
07. Heart Motion Foto
08. Feeding Time
09. Traces of Love
In conclusion, M83’s I Wrote You a Letter is an exciting new chapter in the M83 discography, and with the release of “Blister Sunrise,” fans are getting a glimpse into the cinematic and dreamy sound that Anthony Gonzalez has in store for them. The album’s blend of guitars, electronics, and ambient passages promises to be a unique and captivating listening experience, and with its release on September 25th, fans won’t have to wait much longer to hear it in full.
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