NOREN will release his second album “MONUMENT” on December 11, 2026. 11 tracks blending House, French Touch and Electro-Funk, the new single “RUN IT BACK” and the concept behind the release.
Electronic musician and producer NOREN has revealed details of his second studio album «MONUMENT», scheduled for release on December 11, 2026. The record will feature 11 tracks blending house, French Touch, electro-funk and soul. The first single will be «RUN IT BACK» — a dance-driven track built around a funky groove, synthesizers and processed vocals, set for release on November 13.
The new album continues the creative direction established on NOREN’s previous release «HORIZON», while introducing a different concept. Whereas the visual world of the earlier album drew on images of horizons and nocturnal landscapes, «MONUMENT» turns toward architectural aesthetics, presenting the music as a journey through an imagined monumental structure.
Each of the eleven tracks is conceived as a separate room within a single space. Black stone, bronze and water serve as the project’s central visual symbols, defining the character of its artistic identity.
From «HORIZON» to «MONUMENT»: the evolution of NOREN’s musical world
NOREN’s previous full-length release, «HORIZON», came out in 2026. Its artwork and track titles evoke coastlines, night drives and open spaces, while the project’s musical style places particular emphasis on melodic house and atmospheric electronic music.
Track titles such as «French Riviera», «Nightfall», «Coastline» and «Mirage» reinforce this imagery.
With «MONUMENT», NOREN develops the idea of a unified musical environment further, but shifts it from natural landscapes toward architectural forms. Instead of open horizons and coastal imagery, the central symbol becomes a monument — a structure in which each track has its own identity while remaining part of a larger whole.
This approach allows the album to be viewed not simply as a sequence of individual tracks, but as a conceptually connected work. The song titles, their order in the tracklist and the visual aesthetic together form a coherent system of artistic imagery.
«RUN IT BACK»: the first single and the album’s dance-oriented side
The first official single from «MONUMENT» will be «RUN IT BACK», scheduled for release on November 13, 2026.
According to the artist, the track is an energetic Vocal House production influenced by French dance music and disco. Its musical foundation is built around a prominent bassline, funky rhythm, synthesizer parts and processed vocals.
The French Touch aesthetic that NOREN draws upon is historically associated with the French house scene of the 1990s and 2000s. It is typically characterised by elements of disco and funk, the use of samples, repetitive rhythmic patterns and electronic effects. These traditions help place the stylistic direction of the new single in context.
«RUN IT BACK» is intended to highlight the more rhythmic and dance-focused side of «MONUMENT», while preserving the project’s characteristic attention to atmosphere and sound design.
The single will officially be released on November 13, 2026. Ahead of that date, the track was made available to the editorial team for advance listening.
11 tracks as a single architectural space
One of the most distinctive features of «MONUMENT» is the conceptual relationship between the track titles and architectural imagery.
The album opens with «Threshold» and ends with «Daybreak». Between them are tracks titled «Monolith», «Stillness», «Atrium», «Bedrock» and «Low Tide», forming a sequence of images connected with space, matter, time and changes of state.
According to the concept presented by the artist, the architectural metaphor brings the tracks together within a single artistic space; the materials provided do not describe a detailed storyline involving characters or events.
Full tracklist: NOREN — MONUMENT
- Threshold
- Monolith
- Stillness
- Run It Back
- Lumen
- After Hours
- Trace
- Atrium
- Bedrock
- Low Tide
- Daybreak
The sequence of titles allows for several interpretations. «Threshold» can be understood as a symbolic entrance into the album’s space, while «Monolith» and «Bedrock» evoke strength, stability and the physical foundations of a structure.
«Stillness» and «After Hours» suggest silence and nocturnal atmosphere, while «Lumen» and «Daybreak» introduce images of light. «Low Tide», meanwhile, connects the architectural concept with the natural element of water.
These thematic links add another artistic dimension to the release, although a fuller understanding of how the musical narrative develops will only be possible once the complete album is available.
How the album was created: synthesizers, sampling and independent production
NOREN writes and produces his music independently. According to the artist, he is responsible for the compositional structure, arrangements, sound design, editing and overall artistic direction of the project.
In the studio, the musician combines hardware instruments, sampling and digital audio processing. His equipment includes Akai MPC devices, Korg PS-3300, M-VAVE FM-1 and Arturia PolyBrute 12 synthesizers, as well as an Arturia KeyLab 49 MK3 MIDI keyboard.
Logic Pro serves as the main software environment for the further development of the compositions. NOREN uses it to expand musical ideas, shape the final structure of the tracks and bring instrumental parts together into finished recordings.
This process allows him to combine hands-on work with musical instruments and the possibilities offered by a modern digital studio.
The role of artificial intelligence in NOREN’s music
The artist also addressed the use of generative technologies, explaining in detail how they fit into his creative process.
According to NOREN, the Suno service was used during the creation of «RUN IT BACK» exclusively to generate a background choir part. The musician selected the material himself, edited it and integrated it into his own arrangement.
All other musical elements of the track, including its structure and instrumental production, were created by NOREN himself in Logic Pro, according to the artist.
In other works, NOREN also allows for occasional use of generative tools for vocal textures, choral elements, technical sound processing and visual materials.
At the same time, the artist emphasises that the creative decisions, composition, arrangement and final sound remain under his direct control.
In this case, generative tools serve a supporting role in the production process rather than replacing the independent musical work described by NOREN.
Visual concept: black stone, bronze and water
According to NOREN, the visual design helps reveal the concept behind «MONUMENT».
Black stone, bronze and water form the aesthetic foundation of the project. Each element carries its own visual qualities: stone is associated with monumentality and stability, bronze with historical memory and material texture, and water with movement and change.
Together, they create a contrast between the stillness of architectural forms and the constant motion of a natural element.
In this context, the title «MONUMENT» takes on a broader artistic meaning. The album can be viewed as an attempt to give musical impressions the shape of an imagined space through which the listener moves from the opening track to the final one.
The visual approach continues NOREN’s interest in cinematic imagery, already evident during the «HORIZON» era, while introducing a stricter and more geometric visual language.
Release dates and future plans
The first single, «RUN IT BACK», is scheduled for release on November 13, 2026. The full album «MONUMENT» will be released on December 11, 2026 and will become NOREN’s second full-length studio work after «HORIZON».
For the artist, the new release represents another stage in the development of his musical direction, where electronic dance music is combined with a conceptual approach to album structure and visual presentation.
«MONUMENT» brings together different sides of NOREN’s work — from funky house grooves and French Touch influences to atmospheric electronic music and elements of soul. The architectural concept provides a common artistic foundation for these stylistic combinations.
Listeners will be able to judge how consistently the concept is realised in the music once all eleven tracks are released. The concept presented so far reflects NOREN’s intention to connect the music, visual design and sequencing of the tracklist within a single artistic vision.
More information about NOREN’s work and upcoming releases can be found on the artist’s official website.
