Parisian duo pair up with Tame impala to deliver a smooth vintage funk-disco escapade of final bosses.
Justice’s Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay began making music in the early 2000s and have been making “music to levitate to” ever since. Bolstered by their Grammy-appeal of D.A.N.C.E and that years’ full length Cross, the duo’s music has been growing in boldness and unexpected tropes of brilliance.
Paving that classy style that only the French seem to have, the pairing trek across musical quarries, traversing prog, metal, new wave, indie to their vintage funk, disco, and house foundations to form a sprawling everything-in-between landscape. Spearheaded by the likes of Daft Punk, the likes of Justice carving the same path is only testament to the musical prowess the French seem to possess when it comes to funky house music. It’s almost like it’s destined.
This year’s efforts – Hyperdrama – envoke a mega-hit return.
Whether it be the 8-bit techno rave-up departure in Dear Alan, the synth-indulged Saturnine or the Metal Gear Solid final boss on Generator, the album is ablaze with whirling temperaments and mint qualities. Lead single One Night/All Night is a reliant dose of Justice‘s best moments squeezed in an emphatic 4-minute dance track: Impala‘s high vocal lines swim about on a hideously infectious bass groove, made by-and-large by a synth-heavy overload in the chorus. Parker’s other feature is seen on opener – Neverender – as it plays out swelling harmony, searing synth spots and a pulsating off-beat trill – a moment not too dissimilar on Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger in fact. The space-y segues are wonderful breakaways too, with Moonlight Rendez-vous dominating with a contemplative horn solo; before we enter Explorer – a searing vastness of space’s space. Harpy Dream is merely an elongated intro to Saturnine – a pop-induced work sweetened by Miguel’s swagger. The End – a name a bit too on the nose when it comes to the final track of an album – was a welcoming surprise with Thundercat providing his dulcet tones of silky smooth behind a backdrop of more bolstered synth waves and frenetic hi-hat ellipses.
Their fourth studio album marks a six-year return to the dancefloors as the duo lean in on a more polished look. It’s a look that’s not lost on their fans – with their gusto debut in ’07 setting the tone – as they aim to pick up the pieces of previous records missing the mark.
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