After thirteen devoted months of recording and the expectation that five renowned albums creates, it’s no surprise that Anthony Gonzalez, aka Mr. M83, would want to come back with an epic sixth album. Spanning 22 tracks and two CDs, to describe Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming only as epic would be an understatement. It’s colossal.

The themes of the album are obvious: the wistfulness of childhood and a fascination with outer space dominate from start to finish. Gonzalez stated that before beginning work on the album, “I started to have memories from my childhood. It made me nostalgic in a good way, and I started to remember some of my dreams from being a kid – nothing very precise, but more the feeling”. It shows. If the Frenchman has been accused of being too shoe-gaze in the past, such a criticism won’t be relevant for this release. It’s still synth-heavy and (unsurprisingly, given the title) dreamy, but with the explosive percussion and frequent emotional vocal yelps that feature throughout, the album has a grand, almost operatic feel.

The first disc opens on a high, with an intro featuring the bellowing guest vocals of Zola Jesus. From there, it’s on to Midnight City, easily one of the best tracks of the year, and probably one whose cries of “the city is my church” most M83 fans would already be familiar with. As solid as the whole of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is, it’s hard to go past Midnight City as the standout track – months after Gonzalez released the track for digital download; it’s still as compelling as ever. That, and the tracks Reunion (tipped to be the next single) and Wait showcase the three different sounds the album encompasses – the dramatic, the exuberant and the tender. All are engrossing, and Wait proves especially affecting – you almost can’t help but surrender as Gonzalez laments “give your tears to the tide”.

While there’s a number of big singles over the two discs, there are also plenty of instrumental interludes, like the gentle Where The Boats Go and the trippy Train to Pluton. These sorts of tracks could easily come across as album filler and unengaging, but in Gonzalez’s hands, they’re engrossing and form a vital part of the record. Clearly, Gonzalez hasn’t cut any corners with this release – every track here earns its inclusion.

On the second disc, the crashing electro of Steve McQueen stands out as a definite highlight. But there are plenty of other noteworthy songs too, My Tears Are Becoming a Sea and OK Pal particularly commanding attention. Gonzalez captures the childlike fascination with outer space throughout the album, but New Map taps into the space theme in an especially engaging way. With the lyrics asking “Can you do it? The unknown. Can you face it? Shifting desire”, perhaps the great mystery of outer space acts as a metaphor for the similarly as mystifying prospect of growing up.

Gonzalez reiterates what many before him have already taught us – that the most powerful music is that which is able to tap into something deeper than just audio and act as a soundtrack to a particular time and space. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming does what Arcade Fire’s Funeral did so well – conjures a potent image of childhood. From the Where The Wild Things Are-esque cover art, through the child’s narration about a magical frog on the track Raconte-Moi Une Historie and the triumphant cries of “I’ll fight until the end creatures of my dreams raise up and dance with me! Now and forever, I’m your KING!!!” in the outro, Gonzalez transports us to a childhood far more bewitching than our own. That is what makes Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming such an exceptional album – it captures an authentic and resonate feeling at the same time as providing songs that are, simply, superb.

Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is out now on Pod/Inertia.