Pick of the Week: Justice and Tame Impala “Neverender”

By Sofia Giarrusso, Staff Writer

French-electronica duo Justice is back with an exciting collaboration with Tame Impala, “Neverender!” 

The all-around earworm is perfectly curated for your summer soundtrack.

IN CASE YOU NEED A REFRESHER: WHO ARE THE PLAYERS? 

Justice’s two halves, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, are widely associated with rocking the “indietronica” and “indie sleaze” scenes in the late ‘00s. Particularly, their 2007 dance hit, “D.A.N.C.E.,” took off and remains their biggest hit today. Their influential sound combines elements of electronic, rock and funk. 

Justice has toured across the globe, delighting new and old fans alike with their intricate light shows. Their performance personas are the stars of A Cross the Universe (2008), a documentary made about their 2008 North American tour, along with IRIS: A Space Opera by Justice (2019), a filmed live show. The duo has won two Grammy awards and one NME award thus far.

Kevin Parker is–of course–known for being the face of the nu-psychedelic band Tame Impala who has produced hits like “Elephant” and “The Less I Know The Better.” 

BACK TO THE PRESENT…

Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay released their highly anticipated album Hyperdrama in late April to critical and fan acclaim.

“Neverender” is one of two songs Justice and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker partnered on for Hyperdrama. The other is the album’s lead single, “One Night/All Night.” Both Hyperdrama tracks are led by Parker’s iconic John Lennon-esque vocals that highlight what Justice is best at: dance sounds (or “D.A.N.C.E.,” if you will). 

“One Night/All Night” is heavier and darker in its production, while “Neverender” maintains a poppier sound by masterfully balancing its synths, bass, and percussion. 

THE EXPLOSIVE SOUND OF “NEVERENDER”

Sticking with Justice’s prominent style, “Neverender” keeps its lyricism simple and instrumentation complex. The result is an addicting track that employs a juxtaposition of structures and individual sounds. It ensures that the listener remains engaged with Augé, de Rosnay, and Parker throughout. 

The chorus finds Parker declaring the same lyrics from the intro separated by an electric beat drop. This sets the pace for the entire song. It moves from verses, the bridge, to refrains and back to the choruses in a calculated pattern that still manages to dodge excessive repetitiveness. Every time Parker proclaims the lyric “The time is upon us, I should've been honest,” the song builds and builds into a sonic conclusion of its own, creating chapters within the four-and-a-half-minute track.

Similar to their hit “D.A.N.C.E.,” this Hyperdrama collaboration is loud and punchy. Both tracks shine as anthems in Justice’s catalog with the token characteristics that made them the household name. However, the main difference between 2007 and 2024 Justice is their cleanliness… “Neverender” is the tightest they’ve sounded. Stauncher synths and less orchestration make this era of the French duo a vision for fans of electronic and house music.