French EDM darlings Justice are back, patented Cross-aesthetics and all, with “Neverender,” fresh off their newly released album Hyperdrama. Bolstered by the the tantalizing addition of psychedelic synth-pop king(s) Tame Impala (brainchild of Aussie indie maestro Kevin Parker), the two have delivered a glossy, classic slice of electronica tailor-made for the dance floor.
Justice, consisting of French artists Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, have been a tentpole act in the world of electronic music since their 2007 debut album Cross, which took the scene by storm with its hard hitting, distortion-slathered sonic assault and pulse-pounding beats. The band dialed back on the gain knob a bit in future releases, revealing that underneath the layers of grunge lay a sleek, shiny core of irresistibly danceable, rock-influenced grooves, propelled forward by classic disco rhythms of the Daft Punk variety. With the Robots gone, Justice has come to be seen as something of an inheritor of their stylistic legacy, and “Neverender” is very much in keeping with that tradition.
Tame Impala is similarly no stranger to stylistic evolution. Beginning as a fuzzed-out, spaced-out indie modernization of guitar-driven classic rock, Tame Impala introduced more and more poppy, synthesizer-centric aesthetics as time went on. The group has positively dominated their (his?) own chunk of the muso-sphere since the release of 2015’s Currents and its 2020 successor The Slow Rush, bolstered by the viral success of the former’s “The Less I Know The Better.” Kevin Parker’s appearance on “Neverender” follows a previous collaboration with Justice on “One Night/All Night,” also featured on Hyperdrama.
“Neverender” shows the pairing of Justice and Tame Impala to be a match distinctly of the “made in heaven” variety. The distinct styles of the artists in either camp dovetail seamlessly here, with Parker’s signature reverb-soaked falsetto positively floating atop Justice’s aerodynamic neo-disco groove. The end result is pristine EDM oxygen – radiant, warm and fresh as a cool breeze.