story by Tim Slowikowski
photo by Anouck Bertin

Most songs about teenagers  ("Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Teenage Lobotomy", etc.) tend to reference the alienation of adolescence. Almost always, musicians and artists of all stripes take on a "me vs. the world" persona to describe their youthful sense of estrangement (see "My Generation"). Anthony Gonzalez of the experimental electronic shoegaze group M83 takes a decidedly different approach — one that might be described as "teenage nostalgia." It’s all right there in the title of his stunning new album, Saturdays = Youth (Mute). One could easily see the characters that permeate this album wasting the day away in Saturday detention…the brain, the athlete, the basketcase, the princess and the criminal. All of them united by the evocative, powerful and cinematic beauty of M83’s consistently excellent music.

Gonzalez also shows a bygone affinity for the art of record making. From the richness in sound to the attention to detail in the album packaging, M83 covers all the bases. Chicago Innerview caught up with Gonzalez (a.k.a. M83) on a recent Thursday to talk about the ‘80s, the new record and more.

Chicago Innerview: One aspect a lot of artists overlook in the age of iTunes is the whole package of the album, like artwork and theme. Is that something you spend a lot of time on?
Anthony Gonzalez: It’s as important as the music. If the music is good and the cover is bad, it’s like a failure. I like to take the time to choose the right photo for the cover because I think it’s important to re-create the music with the artwork.

Chicago Innerview: The album cover and artwork for Saturdays = Youth seems to reflect the '80s vibe of the sound. It very much hearkens back to The Breakfast Club.
Anthony Gonzalez: Well, that’s what the aim of the cover was, to remind people of John Hughes’ movies and the teen movies of the '80s. It’s definitely the kind of atmosphere I want to provoke from people for this album.

CI: What does an '80s sound mean to you?
AG: When you’re listening to '80s bands, they all have different sounds and I love a lot of different bands from that era. The '80s sound for me is a combination of bands like The Go-Betweens, Tears for Fears, Talk Talk and New Order. I like when there’s a lot of choruses and delay on the beat and when the sound is a bit dreamy.

CI: Your overall sound is very cinematic. Is there any director you’d like to pair your music with?
AG: Well, I worked on a movie soundtrack one year ago for a French director [Eva Husson] and I liked that. But otherwise most of the directors I love are American. I’d love to work with someone like Gregg Araki.

CI: It’s interesting you mention Araki, who often writes movies about teenagers. Would you call Saturdays = Youth a concept album about being a teenager?
AG: I’m not sure if it’s a concept album. For me, it’s more a tribute to the '80s and my teenage years as well. I have many good memories of my teenage years. It’s a great period of my life and I just wanted to do a tribute to that. I’ve always been fascinated by my teenage years and I don’t know why. Maybe because when you are thirteen or fourteen it’s a time of discovering and experimentation with new things. When I was thirteen or fourteen I discovered new bands and new movies and new friends and drugs as well. It was also my first sexual experience. So, I think when you’re fourteen you realize what life is and it’s a crucial period of everybody’s life.

M83 :: with Berg Sans Nipple :: Empty Bottle :: May 29 (two shows).