M83 – “Solitude” (Singles Going Steady)

Emmanuel Elone: “Solitude” is quite an elegant track, with pianos and string sections laced into the electronic production and high register vocals. Like always, M83 does an excellent job at making interesting song structures that also appeal to the casual listener as well. However, though “Solitude” is pretty, it does become dull quickly, and that feeling of boredom is only accentuated as M83 drives the song into a soft, sleepy breakdown that was unnecessary since there wasn’t much going on instrumentally in the first place. Still, it’s a decent track with some elegant moments, but its length and bridge towards the end are the song’s Achilles heel. [5/10]

Chad Miller: The airy vocal melody was really good, and it’s perfectly assisted by its orchestral setting. The instrumental section that follows to the end is much less interesting though. I would have much rather preferred to listen to the beginning of the song by itself instead of having to sit through the next couple minutes of relatively rehashed musical ideas. [6/10]

Pryor Stroud: As the second single from M83’s upcoming LP Junk, “Solitude” could have either further elaborated upon the frenetically cartoonish sound inaugurated in “Do It, Try It” or, alternatively, it could have returned to the shoe-gaze maximalism of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Instead, it does neither. With melodramatic orchestral flourishes and moody, winding synth detours, “Solitude” wears its cinematic ambitions on its sleeve, begging for a credit sequence to accompany and introduce. It’s slow, spacious, and engagingly melodic but, ultimately, it lacks the sonic inventiveness that helped Anthony Gonzales leave his mark. [5/10]

Chris Ingalls: Melodically, there’s a classic pop structure in play — the piano and airtight drums recall vintage Elton John, and the strings and keyboards add a dramatic flair — almost overly dramatic in places. But the vintage synth solo has a playful feel to it, bringing things down to earth a bit. It seems as if M83 is building an anthem for their catalog, and overall, it’s a pretty successful attempt. [7/10]

M83’s new album Junk releases April 8th.

SCORE: 5.75