Kungs - Club Azur (2022)

Before the pandemic hit, the French DJ and producer Kungs was at work on a second album, one that pivoted from his sunny, buoyant sound to something more deep and moody. Lockdown, of course, changed everything. Stuck inside without the option to tour, the Marseille native and some friends decided to host a series of weekly livestreams, called Club Azur, in which they’d DJ for audiences around the world and offer some relief. These feel-good online sessions inspired him to change direction on the album, which is joyful, optimistic and rooted in escapism. Full of chintzy Italo disco and New Wave nostalgia (“Never Going Home”, “Without You”), it’s heavy on camp and charisma and never takes itself too seriously. On the winking Boysnoize team-up “Fashion”, he harnesses the arty self-seriousness that’s ever-present on runways and flips it into a mechanical club-punk stomper, blazing with marching synths and hissing sirens. Like the best Italo creations, it’s purposefully off-kilter and extreme—a teasing dance track tailor-made for letting your freak flag fly.