Midnight City

Midnight City is the zenith of a masterful album from M83. The song is inspirational, cinematic, and broad. It was named the best track of 2011 by Pitchfork, and came in at #20 on the best tracks of the 2010's. The layers of synthesizers, vocal chops, and even brass can be heard in similar EDM acts like ODESZA, Madeon, and Porter Robinson. M83 didn't find one sound and stick to, he's constantly been evolving and developing his sound as the album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming does.

The sound of Midnight City grows between each chorus. They're the kind of sounds that make it feel like an essential listen on a drive late at night, which the lyrics even seem to allude to:

Waiting in the car
Waiting for a ride in the dark
At night the city grows
Look at the horizon glow

Midnight City proved how dramatic and triumphant electronic production could sound.