Justice's ‘Hyperdrama’

Justice is a French electronic duo known for their constantly evolving sound and their visually impressive live performances. With every album they have put out, Justice has sought to make the most dramatic and auditorially distinct music out there. Their most recent release, “Hyperdrama,” is no different. 

Released on April 26, 2024, I consider Hyperdrama to be Justice’s best album so far. I was so captivated with the album when it was released that I almost didn’t notice the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. In the 13 months since, I haven’t been able to stop listening to it.

One of the big reasons why I haven’t been able to put the album down is the opening track on the album — “Neverender.” In terms of all time great opening tracks, “Neverender” is up there as one of the best. Featuring vocals from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, the song opens gently with layered synths and Parker’s voice echoing in the background.

The drums come in, the vocals and the synths crescendo to meet them, and then “Neverender” really kicks off. The song pulls you in with a mix of beautiful synth chords, Parker’s harmonized vocals and a pulsing bassline. All these components blend together to give the track a robust sound.

This robust sound is illustrative of how Justice continues to evolve musically with each new album. 

“Neverender” is followed on the album by the song “Generator.” With a harsh, industrial sound, this song is reminiscent of  something you might find on Justice’s breakout album “Cross.” What separates “Generator” from those roots is its distinct, full sound that is the heart of “Hyperdrama.”

Aggressive synths are layered on top of one another and paired with punchy drums that give “Generator” a darker tone than “Neverender.” At multiple points in the song, “Generator” decrescendos to give listeners a momentary reprieve, only to surge back with more energy than before.

Another song that sticks out on the album is “Muscle Memory.”  At this point in the album, uptempo tracks like “One Night/All Night” and “Incognito” have taken a backseat to slower tracks like “Moonlight Rendez-vous” and “Explorer.” “Muscle Memory” is the 10th song on the album and serves to bring the tempo of “Hyperdrama” back up for the last three songs. 

“Muscle Memory” opens with choral vocals before abruptly transitioning to crunchy single synth notes. As the song progresses, sequences of falling notes come in over the synth until the song blows wide open into a flurry of descending ostinatos and choral vocals. The song has an angelic and celestial feeling at its climax, similar to the Hans Zimmer track “No Time for Caution” from the film “Interstellar.”

“Muscle Memory” sounds nothing like the type of music Justice has released before, even on “Hyperdrama.” Justice’s willingness to constantly push their creative boundaries leads to the creation of some of their most unique songs — and “Muscle Memory” is no exception.  

Not only does “Hyperdrama” have an amazing opener with “Neverender,” it also has an incredible closer with “The End.” Featuring Thundercat, the track brings a feeling of finality to “Hyperdrama,” as well as Justice’s concerts, where it’s typically the last song of their setlist.

“The End” features synths that blend the industrial sound of “Generator” with the polished sound of “Neverender,” complemented by pounding bass throughout the song. Thundercat’s vocals on the song help tie the instruments together to create a spectacular end to “Hyperdrama.”

Since its release, songs from “Hyperdrama” have become fixtures at Justice’s live shows. The band had not performed a live show in over a year, but returned to the stage upon the release of the “Hyperdrama.” The album’s popularity has also led to standalone EP releases including remixes of “Neverender” and “Afterimage.”

Assigning “Hyperdrama” a rating out of 10, I would give it a 9.2. The robust, layered sound of the album combined with stellar vocals and creative new ideas puts “Hyperdrama” among the all-time greats of French electronic music albums.