“Horizon,” the latest single from Le Matos’ upcoming album, No Damn Good, is a true gem. With vocals and lyrics by Beaver Sheppard, the Montreal-based duo of Jean-Philippe Bernier and Jean-Nicolas Leupi turn down the temperature on the dance floor for a darkwave/dark synthpop meditation. The result is a little somber, a bunch of grey, and a ton of excellent. I’ve already got it on repeat.
Don’t get me wrong, the drum machine still has some heat to it (this is Le Matos, after all). However, the chamber-made legato that Sheppard unfurls over the spectral synths, pulsating electro-bass, and those drums have a marked wistful quality that give the song a dark and cold treatment. This all adds up to “Horizon” sounding the least like Le Matos of any song or score cue they’ve released in their nearly 20 years. It fits more naturally in a 1980s context — even with the modern production — than their previous offerings and it’s definitely the most emotionally foreboding. The entirety of No Damn Good doesn’t sound like this, but if Le Matos were to release an entire album of gothy dance cuts I’d definitely be down. I already have my all-black outfit ready to go.
Notably, the single release includes three great remixes. Vehlinggo stalwarts Mecha Maiko and Valerie Collective’s Maethelvin offer their novel interpretations, as does Kcik & Sanre. (The remixes are all embedded below for your convenience.) The single is out today via Le Matos’ and Mecha Maiko’s Right Click 2 Download label at places like Bandcamp and on streamers. (For more Vehlinggo coverage of Le Matos, you know what to do.)
