Hyperdrama (album)

Hyperdrama is the fourth studio album by French electronic music duo Justice, released on 26 April 2024 through Ed Banger Records and Because Music. It is their first studio album in over seven years, following Woman (2016). The album was preceded by the singles "One Night/All Night" with Tame Impala, and "Generator", which were released together alongside its announcement, followed by "Incognito" and later "Saturnine" with Miguel.

The album received generally positive reviews from critics. The duo will tour North America and Europe in support of the album from April to December 2024, beginning with a performance at Coachella.

Background

The album title was first announced on 18 January 2024. In a statement released with the official album announcement a week later, Justice said that "Disco/funk and electronic music at large have always been core elements of the music we make as Justice. In Hyperdrama, we make them coexist, but not in a peaceful way. We like this idea of making them fight a bit for attention." In regards to "One Night/All Night", they elaborated that it "oscillates between pure electronic music and pure disco but you never really get the two at the same time", and wanted it to sound like a "disco iteration of Kevin Parker". On "Incognito", the duo said they "had to unlearn everything" they knew about song structures when they started work on the album, which, according to them, was "very refreshing".

"Dear Alan" is a tribute to Alan Braxe and Chris Rainbow. De Rosnay stated, "It's more of an inside joke than anything, but in the realm of electronic music, he's been an inspiration for us from the beginning. He's always had this kind of melancholic thing to his music that a lot of other bands from the french touch first wave don't really have. For us, the [music] is more like shiny club music that's very euphoric. Alan Braxe was always a bit less dancey but a bit more melancholic and elegant in a way, and that touches us a lot more than straight dance music." The track uses a sample of "Dear Brian" by Chris Rainbow. The sampled song is a tribute to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. "For a long time, the working name of our track was 'Dear Brian' and when we had to give it a proper name, we were like [...] the vocal sample reminds us of Alan Braxe, let's call it Dear Alan. It's a way for us to pay tribute to Alan Braxe and also Chris Rainbow."

Critical reception

Hyperdrama received a score of 71 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 15 critics' reviews, which the website categorised as "generally favorable" reception. Andy Cowan of Mojo stated that Hyperdrama "catches Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé hedging their bets between playing to their old strengths or going for the pop jugular. [The album] excels when they try to out-Justice themselves [...] Ultimately hit and miss, Justice's gift for arena-friendly hooks remains undimmed." In a five-star review, Thomas Smith of NME called the album "a blockbuster release that meets the hype: flashy, over the top and keen to make a spectacle". He further emphasised that the album falls into "the type of release that the dance space – if you could even slot Justice in there – seldom sees".

Rhys Morgan of The Skinny stated that while some may find the opening ("Neverender") discordant with its dreamy soundscape followed by darker tones, the album ultimately finds its groove through a "watercolour of synthwave" and "pared back French house", culminating in a satisfying fusion. Mason Oldridge of The Independent noted that Hyperdrama blends disco and funk with Justice's signature electronic sound. While he was favourable towards the Tame Impala collaboration "One Night/All Night", he was critical of the album's generally "lighter" sound compared to the group's previous releases like their debut album, which he said might disappoint fans who prefer their heavier beats.

Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Philip Sherburne called it "sleekly aerodynamic" and "expensively appointed" but remarked that "Justice have never sounded more polished" and "actual tension—the kind of friction that once made Justice's music feel so vital—is otherwise frustratingly hard to find". Likewise, Ammar Kalia's mixed review for The Observer remarked that Justice "find themselves too polished and bright" on Hyperdrama and are "on less steady ground" during softer moments such as the track "One Night/All Night", where guest vocalist Kevin Parker's falsetto vocals are drowned out by the backing instrumentation. Jason Heffler of EDM.com praised the album's direction, noting that Justice "transcend the simple pleasures of body music to speak to the tragedies, triumphs and bittersweet complexities that loom over the dancefloor's euphoric release" and "bleed candor and restless yearning without abandoning their roots."

Track listing

Notes

• "One Night/All Night" contains an interpolation of "Go With the Flow" composed by Jorn C. J. Hanneman.
• "Dear Alan" contains a sample of "Dear Brian" by Chris Rainbow, written and composed by Christopher James Harley.
• "Incognito" contains a sample of "New Dream" by Clay Pedrini.

Charts

References