We all crave an escape. It’s the natural way of coping with whatever each and every one of us has to deal with on a daily basis. While it may not be recommended to live out your time in a completely fabricated fantasy world, a step away from it all, every once in awhile, can certainly help. Anthony Gonzales aka M83 has done just that for us on his new album Fantasy, out March 17th via Mute Records.

Gonzales has crafted a world of his own that we can all share in. While no stranger to sonically created new worlds, through M83 Gonzales has made his own playgrounds and dreamscapes for close to two decades. With Fantasy though Gonzales has crafted something that feels more personal than his previous efforts. It’s still huge and anthemic and will most definitely pull at all your emotions but there’s a stillness here too that makes the rest resonate more.

Sonically, Gonzales leaves no texture unexplored. From the start of the album with “Water Deep”, we are treated to some lightly strummed acoustic guitar before the entire affair furrows into an amazing crescendo of sound and beauty. The buzzing synth stabs of “Oceans Niagara” feel like the call of far off Lighthouse sirens while the bubbling, bobbing arpeggiators build the world of a seascape around you. It would feel slightly discombobulating if it wasn’t for that classic M83 shimmering guitar that wraps you up in its arms to keep you warm for your journey. A journey Fantasy truly is. Gonzales has put this album together to distract you, even hopefully for a few moments, from your disconnected world. All the familiar touchstones of M83 make an appearance. The just shoegaze adjacent guitars, the huge synth pads, wavering between anthemic and heartbreaking and the steady drums, always hitting the perfect punctuation at exactly the right time.

M83 has always been the product of a dreamer making music to dream too and Fantasy is no exception to the rule. While it many not be breaking new ground in his oeuvre, it really doesn’t need to. M83 is, and always has been, a singular product of its creator and we all know what to expect from that. When you get down to it with this album, there is a lot of care, beauty, patience and hopefully a moment to wash away the world and delve into Fantasy. Whatever that may mean to you.

Pre-order Fantasy by M83 HERE