- The king of synthwave reclaims his crown.
- With "Nightcall," the standout track on Drive's paradigm-shifting soundtrack, French electropop pioneer Vincent Belorgey, AKA Kavinsky, introduced a new generation to a retro neon-lights-and-fast-cars aesthetic we now know as synthwave. Racking up a quarter-billion streams on that track alone ushered Belorgey to instant stardom, as well as a seat at the pantheon with legends like Daft Punk and Justice. Since then, he's become something of a father figure for the genre. After a long hiatus, Belorgey's new album Reborn is a triumphant return to the sleek, retro-futuristic world-building of his debut album, Outrun. This time, though, it pays homage to the more laid-back and sultry side of '80s music, continuing the story of Belorgey's Kavinsky alter ego: a musician who was reborn as a zombie after crashing his Ferrari.
Some interpreted Belorgey's nine-year hiatus as a cool, cultivated brand of mystery. Or maybe he already said all he had to say under the Kavinsky moniker. Since then, so many producers have tried to make Kavinsky-inspired music that it was hard to imagine the man himself succumbing to the weight and expectations of his own ingenuity. "After the sudden success of 'Nightcall,' I didn't really want to record again," Kavinsky told NME. "I sensed some pressure. I was scared. I was scared to imagine what my music was going to be after this success."
Synthwave has grown dramatically as a genre since Belorgey's era, expanding into metal-influenced and rock oriented directions. So the question became: would Belorgey take a potentially alienating risk with Reborn, or double down on the formula that made Outrun and "Nightcall" such cult classics in the first place? As it turns out, he does both, delicately toeing the line between artistic rebirth and, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Recorded at the famous Motorbass studio in Paris, Reborn excels in terms of sound design, thanks in part to contributions by Justice's Gaspard Augé and French artist Victor Le Masne. Talking to the Express, Belorgey described the album as, "more lush, more soft, less tortured than before." Outrun was recorded entirely with plug-ins, and this time he pulls a Random Access Memories and switches to mostly acoustic instruments, using no samples. It pays off.
"Zenith"—which he's bravely dubbed the spiritual successor to "Nightcall"—is as smooth as butter. It begins with some lush keys and brass that give way to yearning guitars and determined arpeggio lines, and when the brass solo at the end kicks in you feel like you've embarked on (and concluded) the journey of a lifetime. "Renegade" is "Odd Look" with its foot on the brake, where thunderous piano chords mesh seamlessly with blitzing electronics. There's a gravitas here that wasn't present in his previous works.
Though it comes so long after his last release, the world Reborn creates is instantly recognizable as Kavinsky's. The whole LP brims with unbridled passion, exploring every every '80s trope imaginable with sprinkles of sci-fi thrown in. Opening track "Pulsar" sets a momentous tone, a confident proclamation that makes it clear off the bat that Belorgey has successfully overcome his sophomore slump anxieties. It jolts back and forth between star-facing contemplation and synthy supernovas, before a harmonica-esque synth line takes it away.
Reborn is a vocal-heavy affair with mixed results, to put it mildly. None of the features hit the highs of The Weeknd's "Odd Look" remix (in fact, a contribution from him would've been welcome). But "Zenith," with Prudence and Margan Phalen, and sultry standout "Goodbye" with Sébastien Teller, are two examples of Belorgey's vision matching up with his ears. "Goodbye" is the kind of sensual, timeless number that could soundtrack two lovers running towards one another in slow-mo on a dusky beach. Teller's delivery is typically intimate, to the point you almost feel voyeuristic hearing it.
The pace of Reboron is slower than Outrun, but the stakes are higher. "Zombie" is the ultimate workout montage track, as modulated keys rise and fall making you feel like you're edging closer and closer to resolution. The title track is laden with fluttering synths and soaring falsettos, with Belorgey's signature spaced-out snares evoking the footsteps of some leather-clad action hero who never looks back at any of the explosions they're responsible for. It's this singular knack for mood and theatricality that sets Kavinsky apart from the flood of his nostalgia-baiting imitators.
"I want people to talk to me about something other than 'Nightcall' now," Belorgey told Mixmag in his first post-hiatus interview. Reborn feels strong enough to redirect that conversation. It's one of those times when the chip on an artist's shoulder propels them to an even greater place. On first listen, it sound like he's done innovating and just floating down his own slipstream. But it's exactly that change of pace, the decision to slow things down, that allows the unique Kavinsky quirks to flourish, and the feeling of driving through some futuristic city is as strong and poignant as ever. Belorgey admittedly had big shoes to fill here, but shoes are irrelevant when you're always on wheels. If Outrun was a fast-paced drive that made the city look like an endless stream of light-trails, Reborn is a beautiful retro pastiche that intentionally slows down to let you take in just how far you've come.
Tracklist01. Pulsar
02. Reborn feat. Romuald
03. Renegade feat. Cautious Clay
04. Trigger
05. Goodbye feat. Sébastien Tellier
06. Plasma feat. Morgan Phalen
07. Cameo feat. Kareen Lomax
08. Zenith feat. Prudence and Margan Phalen
09. Vigilante feat. Morgan Phalen
10. Zombie
11. Outsider
12. Horizon