I Wrote You a Letter is the tenth studio album by the French electronic band M83. It was released on 25 September 2026 through lead performer Anthony Gonzalez's own label, Other Suns. It was initially announced, with cover art and tracklist, on 22 July 2026 via the group's official website and their Instagram page. The opening track, "Blister Sunrise", was released as the lead single on 4 September.
Background The release of M83's previous album, Fantasy, in 2023, marked the debut of Gonzalez's independent music label, named Other Suns, powered by Believe Music. This label would later receive a couple of soundtracks composed by M83 (namely A Necessary Escape, for the 2025 film Dakar: Race Against the Desert, and Resurrection, for the homonymous film directed by Bi Gan), while also hosting studio albums of artists associated with the band, including Kaela Sinclair's Supraliminal and Benoît de Villeneuve's Soul Tuning, both in 2025. Concurrently, with M83's ninth studio album released, Gonzalez held an artistic priority of touring throughout North America and Europe, and with the conclusion of the shows, he began producing the aforementioned soundtracks and the next full-length album in 2024, in the continued vision of making cinematic soundscapes for "people to go on big adventures, to feel alive and to forget about the world", as he said in an interview by Clash Music about Fantasy.
I Wrote You a Letter, according to Gonzalez, was developed based on his mental state over the previous years leading to the album, and brings back some characteristics of the group's early focus on walls of sound and crescendos, mainly reminiscent of shoegaze and indietronica.
Artwork Designed by Jean-Phillipe Talaga, the artwork is a reproduction of Untitled 2008/09, by Australian photographer Bill Henson, which shows large walls of rock on the sides of an ocean, with clouds in the distance. This photo has a large gradient barrier around it, consisting of three colors blended together.
Reception Riff Magazine had positive reviews for the album, saying it "offers breathtaking clarity both in its sonic and thematic spaces".
Track listing
Personnel Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. M83 Anthony Gonzalez – piano, synthesizers, guitars, vocals, production Benoît de Villeneuve – synthesizers, programming, guitars, vocals, production Clément Libes – bass, guitars, vioiln, viola, drum programming, synthesizers, additional production, arrangements on "Traces of Love" Joe Berry – woodwinds, saxophone, vocals, synthesizers, arrangements
Additional contributors Nathan Salon – mixing Paul Corley – mixing Heba Kadry – mastering Kaela Sinclair – additional vocals on "Blister Sunrise" Théophile Antolinos – guitar on "Opera" Anna Maehl – additional vocals on "Opera" Bill Henson – cover photograph Jean-Philippe Talaga – album design
Charts + Chart performance for I Wrote You a Letter Chart (2026) Peakposition UK Albums Sales (Official Charts) 70
References