It’s been a minute since the last album release “Good Faith” in late 2019, and when getting to the point of wondering where Madeon is, questioning “where is he hiding?” – the answer comes back in more ways than expected: It’s September 2025, and brings a literal greet out of nowhere with a “Hi!” to the public. It’s the new lead single’s name, and also calls out for a new introduction with the song and with the music video, where Madeon bares it all in the video’s description: “A whole new era!! I’ve been feeling this crazy energy. I HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!!!”
Words can’t be more true when the French DJ from Nantes, France, showcases a new persona out of his shell, and surprises with a sudden change that feels like not only a new era, but almost like a new artist, too: Madeon in crazy fashion, loud and in-your-face, and screaming in plastic cord-phones: a flashy, dark-colored, and a spaced out new experience with distorted images in video form. And this is only one part of the music video for “Hi!”, making the continuation almost fitting when seeing a man in a total black pipe-filled body suit, and Madeon, standing in front of him, smashing him into pieces when the screen’s saying “Do It!” – letting loose of his emotions. All this opens up what’s more to come when “Hi!” gets as loud, but also as free as ever. What’s going on here? And where’s Madeon at?
Well, wherever he is and in which form he comes, clear is that he found his “Victory” – the name of his third album, that was released on June 26. “Hi!” was like saying I’m back, with a new introduction, and a new chapter. A song full of new wave, rock guitars, smushed sounds, and distorted vocals, as if it’s telling you to turn up the volume higher until the boxes smash into flames. And “Car Crash Baby”, released two months later in November ‘25, following in a Fast & Furious style energy while the bridge puts his classic dreamy effects with distorted sounds reminiscent to last album “Good Faith”: Still reminding the trueness of Madeon’s core style, while also offering new speed and energy. And from there on, we’re getting the first pieces of the new album’s era that “Car Crash Baby” is willing to showcase further in its visual, when Madeon’s wearing a black avant-garde gown – Neo-Victorian and goth – with circular bubble-shaped pieces (appliqués) attached to the surface. Not to mention the flashy tone in the lyrics: “I’m just another crash test dummy / I love you like a car crash baby / Somebody’s gonna wanna pay for this / I’m gonna be a popstar / Hit me like a fast car baby.”
With spaced-out energetic sounds, the album continues its streak with another highlight – “Super Platinum”, featuring Erick the Architect. A song that could either be described as a video game’s soundtrack or a spaceship adventure, the mixed up vocals by Erick and Madeon, that play nicely together, bring coolness in rocky electro sounds, ending the song nicely with bells in a rhythmic pace.
When going further into the album though, it comes to realization that “Victory” is not only about finding a new sound, it’s actually lyric-wise very layered in love and heartbreak. And these themes play a pivotal role in the majority of the tracks, sometimes drastically, like in “Dancing On Your Grave”. Here, all the layers of effects still make the core of the song (especially when loud drums take over), though Madeon also puts his heart out about a hurting relationship, and even in distorted voice-effects, the emotion is still very much noticeable.
The distortion in his voice though gets a clearer sound in follow-up track “Somebody Else”, where the lyrics speak of a flame having another: “The boy you’ve met isn’t so tough / On both his wrists a different watch”. The 80s guitar sounds and Madeon’s clear voice then end the bridge with a “Don’t call me when the house is on fire” and surprises with fired up sound-effects in the end, underlining the angry emotion. It’s as if the album is a gateway to putting his heart out – with no boundaries though, as the lyrics bring an open letter to the person he’s singing about. “Fire Away” is another example of this: “I raise a glass like a loaded gun / Here’s to the last of the damage done / Why does it hurt when you call my name? / It almost sounds like you’re having fun”. Featuring American electropop singer Slayyyter, the broken-hearted theme keeps going here, this time also with static sounds in the bridge part (fun fact: The track starts off with a sampled “Push it!” from Salt’n’Pepa’s song of the same name).
While in “Chaos Magic” the fast racetrack energy continues with even more distorted voice and sound layers and continuous revengeful lyrics (“You’ll pay for the ending of my youth”), the mood surprisingly goes up in “Enjoy”. The 8th track surprises with its bubbly, sweet, and summer-like atmosphere, while a loudly exclaimed ENJOY! comes in between the lyrics, that funny enough works nicely within its dreamy attitude, followed by exclamations/shouting raps in the bridge.
“Victory” then finds an ending from the laid-back “Enjoy” to one last time smashing up the effects in “Red Jacket”, together with its feature of Sam Gellaitry. There, one final time the lyrics get serious (“I used to see us as a blessing / Until I watched the world crumble down”), and exclaims a “you better stop!” in the ending, that in the last seconds repeats its hook in a high-pitched version to bring it to the end. However, the album is actually not yet finished, and Madeon brings a last emotional turn in “Victory”’s final track “Lonely Space Age”. And as the title says, loneliness plays a role here: It feels haunty, it feels sad, and when listening carefully, out of all the spacy electro sounds and distortions actually hides a sad ballad: “I’m pretending to be happy, but I’m not / I’m a shadow of the hero you forgot / Just another day of waiting for the dark”. Deep poetic lyrics continue with “I’m down on my knees / Run, run, run into the air that I breathe” to more depth like “I play the part / I’m an actor in the movie of my life / Is she gonna know to read between the lines / ‘Cause “I love you” is the weapon of this crime”. Thoughtful. With a stretching sound in the end, one final note, and over the song, over with the album.
In “Victory”, Madeon achieved a whole body of work that opens a new era while bringing some of his signature sounds typical of his unique style, too. An all-round musician that produces, sings, and writes his songs, Madeon was always able to play around effects and impress his crowd since early on, when he made a mash-up of pop songs in his YouTube video “Pop Culture”, opening with the words “Here are 39 songs I like” and off it went with funky mashes of artists like Alphabeat, Daft Punk, One-T + Cool T., Madonna, Michael Jackson, Solange, and many more. This was still back in 2011, though opened a gateway into popularity, led by his acclaimed albums “Adventure” (2015) and “Good Faith” (2019).
The journey to his music feels like getting to the next level, and while “Adventure” brought some hard electro-driven sounds, and “Good Faith” some universal world-sounds, “Victory”, in comparison, feels spaced-out in fashion and distortion. And – of course – the lyrical content, which is not always easy to hear in its completeness due to the audio effects, but clearly brings a rant in heartbreak. Madeon shares his all, and funny enough, when only focusing on the pace, melodies, and singing-parts, actually has a lot of songs that could pass for a pop structure. Though the crazed out effects and surprising change in tone in the middle of his songs (one of his signature ways) often take the foreground. As a whole body of work, all tracks feel like a unity, though sometimes stumble upon their stand out moment as individuals. There are some highlight tracks, especially lead-single and opener “Hi!”. Many others, in comparison, kind of act more as a support system of style, direction, and musical inspiration. Not forgetting the ongoing lyrical content, too. True to his style though (like early on in his YouTube-mashup): sounds and effects were mashed and mixed and distorted to make a whole gumbo out of it. It all fits together, while some work on their own very well, and some are more blending in with the rest.
Standout Banger:
Hi!
Other Highlight Tracks:
Car Crash Baby
Super Platinum
Enjoy
Full Track List:
Hi!
Car Crash Baby
Super Platinum (feat. Erick the Architect)
Dancing On Your Grave
Somebody Else
Fire Away (feat. Slayyyter)
Chaos Magic
Enjoy
Red Jacket (feat. Sam Gellaitry)
Lonely Space Age
