Junk (M83 album)

Junk
Studio album by M83
Released	8 April 2016
Genre	Electronic dream pop synthpop new wave
Length	55:40
Label	Naïve Mute
Producer	Justin Meldal-Johnsen Anthony Gonzalez
M83 chronology
Oblivion (2013) Junk (2016)
Singles from Junk
"Do It, Try It" Released: 1 March 2016 "Solitude" Released: 18 March 2016 "Go!" Released: 4 April 2016

Junk is the seventh studio album by French electronic band M83, released on 8 April 2016 on Naïve Records in France and Mute Records in the United States.^[1]

Background

Junk marks the band's first studio release without longtime vocalist and keyboardist Morgan Kibby, who left the band prior to recording sessions of the album.^[2] On 4 March 2016, Gonzalez announced that Dallas musician Kaela Sinclair would be replacing Kibby for the upcoming tour supporting Junk,^[3] whom he found by crowd-sourcing online. The track "Walkway Blues" marks the debut songwriting and lead vocal contribution of Jordan Lawlor, better known by his stage name J. Laser, who was also recruited through a crowd-sourced audition in 2011.^[4] Junk marks M83's first studio album in over four years, the last album being Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.

Gonzalez noted that he was inspired by 1970s and 1980s television shows such as Punky Brewster and Who's the Boss?, stating, "I feel like TV shows are starting to sound and look the same. There's no more passion anymore. So this album is a tribute to those old-fashioned shows."^[5]

Guitarist Steve Vai makes an uncredited appearance on the track "Go!".^[6]

Release

The album's first single, "Do It, Try It", was released on 1 March 2016. The second single from the album, "Solitude", was released on 17 March 2016 in Australia and New Zealand and on 18 March 2016 worldwide. The third single from the album, "Go!", was released on 5 April 2016.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	67/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Consequence of Sound	C[9]
The Guardian	[10]
The New York Times	(Favourable)[11]
Pitchfork Media	6.8/10[12]
Q	[13]

Junk received generally favourable reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Do It, Try It"	3:37
2.	"Go!" (featuring Mai Lan)	3:55
3.	"Walkway Blues" (featuring Jordan Lawlor)	4:49
4.	"Bibi the Dog" (featuring Mai Lan)	3:54
5.	"Moon Crystal"	2:26
6.	"For the Kids" (featuring Susanne Sundfør and Zelly Meldal-Johnsen)	4:41
7.	"Solitude"	6:03
8.	"The Wizard"	2:25
9.	"Laser Gun" (featuring Mai Lan)	4:16
10.	"Road Blaster"	4:21
11.	"Tension"	2:05
12.	"Atlantique Sud" (featuring Mai Lan)	3:24
13.	"Time Wind" (featuring Beck)	4:09
14.	"Ludivine"	1:35
15.	"Sunday Night 1987"	4:00
Total length:		55:40

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14]	12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15]	34
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16]	30
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17]	46
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[18]	57
French Albums (SNEP)[19]	26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20]	87
Irish Albums (IRMA)[21]	52
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[22]	34
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23]	30
UK Albums (OCC)[24]	28
US Billboard 200[25]	26
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[26]	6

References

1. Strauss, Matthew; Phillips, Amy (2016-03-01). "M83 New Album Junk Announced, Listen to New Single "Do It, Try It"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
2. Kaye, Ben; Young, Alex (2016-03-01). "M83 announce new album Junk, share first single "Do It, Try It" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
3. Camp, Zoe (2016-03-04). "M83 Announce Results of Search for New Member". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
4. Gordon, Jeremy (2015-02-03). "Wanna Be a Member of M83? Now's Your Chance". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
5. Rettig, James (2015-12-17). "M83 Finish “Epic” New Album Inspired By Punky Brewster & Who’s The Boss". Stereogum. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
6. Hendicott, James (2016-04-05). "M83 launch 'Go!' featuring guitarist Steve Vai". NME. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
7. "Junk – M83". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
8. "Junk – M83". AllMusic. 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
9. Caffrey, Dan (April 6, 2016). "Album Review: M83 - Junk". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
10. MacInnes, Paul. M83: Junk review – nostalgia electronica, cheesy but refined. The Guardian. 07 April 2016. Retrieved 07 April 2016.
11. Ratliff, Ben. Review: ‘Junk’ Builds on M83’s Strengths. The New York Times. 06 April 2016. Retrieved 07 April 2016.
12. Rachel, T.Cole (10 April 2016). "M83: Junk". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
13. Review: ‘Junk’ is deeply uncool, uncoolly deep, and utterly magnifique. [May 2016, p.115]. Q Magazine. 09 April 2016. Retrieved 09 April 2016.
14. "Australiancharts.com – M83 – Junk". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
15. "Ultratop.be – M83 – Junk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
16. "Ultratop.be – M83 – Junk" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
17. "M83 – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for M83. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – M83 – Junk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
19. "Lescharts.com – M83 – Junk". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
20. "Offiziellecharts.de – M83 – Junk" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
21. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 15, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
22. "Norwegiancharts.com – M83 – Junk". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
23. "Swisscharts.com – M83 – Junk". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
24. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
25. "M83 – Chart history" Billboard 200 for M83. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
26. "M83 – Chart history" Billboard Digital Albums for M83. Retrieved 20 April 2016.