Everybody just chill out. It’s going to be alright.

Anoraak began as a bedroom-based project about eight years ago, healing as Frederic Riviere searched for sound engineer work and found nothing but bar gigs.

“Everyone is an engineer in Paris, ambulance ” says Riviere aka Anoraak “It’s like coming to L.A. and trying to be an actor.”

It wasn’t long before Riviere reached a breaking point, after his role in several indie rock bands started to feel like “just another job.” Determined to find his calling in the West of France, Riviere joined his old friends in Nantes (a city Time once called the most livable spot in all of Europe) and helped launch the Valerie collective/blog. Before he knew it, Riviere was channeling his childhood on the Nightdrive With You EP, a buzz-stirring attempt at everything from moon-lit club music (the title track) to Boards of Canada-inspired IDM (“Endless Summer”).

Similar traces of melancholy slip into Wherever the Sun Sets (see: the richly-layered instrumental loops of “Midnight Sunset”) as well. But let’s be honest—it’s a feel-good full-length for the most part., a seamless blend of live and programmed elements that’s essentially an electronic take on the SoCal rock LPs (Weezer, That Dog) that Riviere loved as a kid growing up in the South of France (the Medieval city where Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was filmed, if you must know). SoCal in spirit, at least, as standout tracks like “Try Me” and “Long Hot Summer Night” absolutely nail the essence of being on a beach without a care in the world. And then there’s “Don’t Be Afraid” and “Dolphins & Highways,” a pair of from-dusk-’til-dawn ballads that feature an alt-disco diva (Sally Shapiro) and Scottish folk singer (Siobhan Wilson) respectively.

Clearly, Frederic is partial to laser-guided synth lines and sepia-toned nostalgia trips, but his debut album as Anoraak (Wherever the Sun Sets) is more indebted to Italo disco, Motown-schooled funk and sepia-toned pop music—think: M83 on Ecstasy—than anything that’s lo/glo-fi or dare we say “chillwave”. Which makes sense. After all, it’s not like the French producer/singer/multi-instrumentalist picked up his first battery-powered keyboard yesterday.

Anoraak – Above Your Head
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