REMEMBER ALUNAGEORGE?

Written by Dan Hyman / Photography by Lloyd Pursall / September 23, 2016

When AlunaGeorge emerged in early 2013, they were a buzzy electro-pop duo from the UK, most notably attached to Disclosure hit "White Noise." The feature firmly solidified the duo's place among the critically anointed, even as it lumped them into the then-massive EDM surge happening Stateside. In turn, their debut album, that year's Body Music, smacked with four-on-the-floor thump and club-ready production, though Francis says that, frankly, it surprised her when fans and critics classified AlunaGeorge as "dance music."

"If you listen to our back catalog it's very quickly evident that we don't belong to any particular genre—especially not dance in the traditional meaning of the word." Rather, Francis sees her and bandmate-producer George Reid as arbiters of sound; musicians who take oddball noises and slowly filter them through classic songwriting structures. The result is songs that on paper might seem outré, or even avant-garde, but in practice feel downright meticulous, filled with infectious choruses and sumptuous beats.

This attention to detail—and the need to separate their studio time from their steady performance schedule—also helps explain the story behind AlunaGeorge's forthcoming sophomore album, I Remember. The record, which drops this Friday, September 16, sees the duo exploring everything from dancehall (the Popcaan-featuring lead single "I'm In Control") to hip-hop ("Mean What I Mean") to sensual soul ("Mediator") and minor-key R&B ("My Blood"). It all coalesces into a hazy, late-night-in-the-club-type affair, with Francis' sweet purr at the forefront and arriving at a smooth, eerily comforting place.

After playing to audiences around the world, and dominating massive stages everywhere from Coachella and Lollapalooza to Glastonbury in their native UK, it's become clear that AlunaGeorge are far more than a flash-in-the-pan.