When we talk about biggest Grammy Awards travesties, we often forget to mention how M83’s impeccable Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming lost the 2013 Best Alternative Music Album award to Gotye’s Making Mirrors. Oy. A sprawling epic double album lost to a release propped up by a one-hit wonder single. What were they thinking? Luckily, we can still press play on M83’s masterpiece and take our minds on an inviting adventure. Or if you really want an all-encompassing experience, the trilogy of videos from the album for “Midnight City,” “Reunion,” and “Wait” takes us on an incredible story arc. One with supernatural children, born as true forces of natures in the shape of young mutant superheroes a la the X-Men.
As the 10th anniversary of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming approaches next year, M83 released a prequel video to that original trilogy today of the track “My Tears Are Becoming The Sea.” The clip, directed by Sacha Barbin and Ryan Doubiago, tells an origins story of one of these superhero kids. As their parents are on the way to the hospital to give birth, an accident happens, but the child saves their lives from inside the womb. The directors explained the concept in a statement:
“This story takes place 10 years earlier in order to highlight the first moment one of these children uses their supernatural gifts. On the way to the hospital and moments before his birth, the child’s parents are victims of a horrible car accident. The unborn child is forced to use his powers to save them from within the womb. The idea was to show the literal birth of a superhero. We wanted to place this story in a realistic and universal setting. We think that the panic created by this magnificent moment speaks to everyone. We also wanted to pay homage to the mothers who are too often absent from the mythology of superheroes. And finally, to go beyond the codes of the genre to carry a symbolic message of hope where future generations would come to save us from a dark fate.”
It’s a heady visual that ties together the theme of the trilogy, albeit ten years later. Speaking of which, M83 will be reissuing Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming as a 10th anniversary transparent orange vinyl edition, available in April. There’s a new cover image that shows the kids from the iconic original cover ten years later. Finally, a parting statement from the band and leader Anthony Gonzalezs read simply: “Gonzalez is hard at work in the studio and looks forward to seeing his fans very soon…”
Check out the cover art and original video for “Midnight City” below.
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming 10th anniversary orange vinyl edition is out on 4/15/2022. Pre-order it here