With FVTVRVM [non-Latin speakers, read “Futurum”], Naive New Beaters deliver an album that’s as danceable as it is unexpectedly emotional and profound. Highly anticipated since Fun Hours in 2019, this fifth release from the trio — who have been shaking up the scene for over 15 years — unfolds like a vibrant, retro-modern fresco: bold, heartfelt, steeped in history, yet gazing firmly into the future.
After four albums built on fun and wild energy — including the legendary Heal Tomorrow feat. Izia from À La Folie (certified diamond single with 50 million streams) — the eccentric trio, known for their explosive live shows (Vieilles Charrues, Glastonbury, Benicàssim) and electrifying music videos, now venture into deeper waters. Opening with the entrancing The Sun, the tone is set: this time, the NNBs embrace longer intros and freer structures, giving their synths room to breathe.
Their knack for infectious hooks and good vibes remains, but this new chapter shines with fresh musical ambition. Some tracks dig into rock roots, others lean into experimental sounds and a more mature, crooning tone. The result? An eclectic, electric blend that surprises at every turn.
They radiate sunshine on Ye Kou Si Kuo, an afrobeat-disco collab with Benin’s Star Féminine Band and their childlike choruses; go full pop-explosion on Dancing and Rising Above; and stir deep emotion with spine-tingling songs like The Sun and All Good For Me. Brilliant storytellers and natural entertainers, the NNBs weave a multi-layered narrative through the album’s 12 tracks.
They get intimate and vulnerable on Love Scares, confronting the fear of true emotional openness; turn into ‘80s-style dancefloor prophets in the eco-conscious Such a Waste; serve up clever double entendres in My Precious Jewel; and bring it all home with the tender, autobiographical Started As A Joke.
Jumping from style to style and world to world, FVTVRVM is a retrofuturistic UFO — surprising, captivating, and brimming with anthemic choruses and unstoppable hooks. Proof, if any were needed, that Naive New Beaters are far from done making us fall in love with their wild cinematic soundscapes.