M83 Take A Rest

It's hard to avoid asking Anthony Gonzalez about his affinity for the '80s.

Look at every interview the 26-year-old behind M83 has done in the past year and a half and you'll find it's a common theme. But a mere glance at his most recent album, Saturdays = Youth, which prominently features a Molly Ringwald lookalike on the cover, and you discover there's more than lazy journalism at play.

"This album sounds really '80s," Gonzalez admits, in a heavy French accent, just before leaving the U.K. for the band's latest tour. "I really tried to do it very personal. I tried to keep my identity on this album, but I think this is an influence."

Blaring snyths — perfected on the single "We Own The Sky" — and an overarching ethereal quality run throughout the disc that, at a year old, is still picking up steam around much of North America.

For Gonzalez, who grew up in Antibes, France between the '80s and '90s, it was supposed to reflect his irreplaceable, carefree teen years.

"I've always been fascinated by youth and teenagers. One of the reasons is because I had a good time when I was a teenager. I had a lot of fun. [The album] is maybe a way for me to do a tribute to the teen years. There's a kind of beauty in youth. That's what I tried to recreate."

He says he was also looking for a lighter, more pop sound as a departure from the experimental music he's made in the past. While the record might not be a shot of bubblegum pop, it's certainly more accessible than his earlier offerings.

"After the weird, strange albums I've made in the past, this is more accessible and direct, I'd say."

Part of that can be attributed to the sweet, flirty vocals of Morgan Kibby, a new recruit from the Los Angeles band The Romanovs. In concert, the pair have electric chemistry, feeding off each other for a captivating performance that can sometimes be hard for so-called shoegazing bands to pull off.

But, apparently, she's more than just a pretty voice. She can also be quite the trooper on tour as well, Gonzalez said.

"She's like a sister to me. I met her two years ago for recording on the album. Since the making of the album, we've become really good friends. We're spending a lot of time together because of touring and the album. She never complains. Life can be very difficult being a girl on tour with only men, but she never complains."

For Gonzalez, it's another story. At the end of a touring stint that's carried on for over a year, he openly admits he's ready for a rest.

"I've had the opportunity to promote this album for a year-and-a-half," he says. "It's very positive, but it can be very frustrating to play the same songs always again and again. But it's almost the end. We finish at the end of July. We're going to take a rest."