Desire

The Artist

Desire is a synth-pop project rooted in Montreal, fronted by vocalist Megan Louise and shaped by producer and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Jewel. The group belongs to the Italians Do It Better family, the label and loose collective also associated with Chromatics and Glass Candy. Their sound draws on Italo disco, cold wave, and late-night European pop, pairing drum machines and analog synths with breathy, detached vocals. Louise moves between French and English, which gives the songs a dreamy, cosmopolitan quality. This record is the band's defining statement and the source of their best-known song.

The Album

Desire arrived around the end of the 2000s on Italians Do It Better, during a wave of interest in the label's moody, retro-futurist aesthetic. Johnny Jewel oversaw the production, favoring sparse arrangements, steady machine rhythms, and plenty of atmospheric space. The approach is deliberately minimal: few elements, long patient builds, and a hazy sheen that feels more like a mood than a showcase. The album found a much larger audience after "Under Your Spell" appeared in the 2011 film Drive, which pulled the whole Italians Do It Better sound into wider view. Thematically, it dwells on longing, obsession, self-image, and love that feels just out of reach.

Listen For

Language as texture. Notice how Louise shifts between French on tracks like "Montre Moi Ton Visage" and English elsewhere. Ask whether the language change alters the emotional temperature or simply adds to the haze.

The machine heartbeat. The drum programming often carries entire songs with little variation. On "Don't Call," listen to how the rhythm section does the heavy lifting while everything else floats above it.

The slow build. "Under Your Spell" adds and withholds elements gradually rather than exploding into a big chorus. Track how tension accumulates through restraint.

Mirrors and dreams. "Mirroir Mirroir" and "Dans Mes Reves" both circle ideas of reflection, fantasy, and unreal intimacy. Consider how these songs talk to each other about identity and desire.

Space in the mix. The production leaves a lot of air around the voice and synths, especially on "Colorless Sky." Listen for the empty spaces as much as the sounds that fill them.