When not performing under the pseudonym
Mitch Silver in the group
Sexy Sushi or heading the label/collective Valerie, French electronica artist
David Grellier records music as
College. Built on pure nostalgia for the '80s synth pop of his youth,
Grellier recorded two full-lengths (
Secret Diary and
Northern Council) and two EPs (
Teenage Colour and A Real Hero) before the world took notice when "A Real Hero" was used in the retro-sounding soundtrack of the
Ryan Gosling film Drive in 2011. The song -- for which he teamed with Electric Youth's
Austin Garrick and Bronwyn Griffin -- became a charting hit and gained
College an underground following, prior to 2013's
Heritage. The following year,
College delivered the Saves the Day EP, which was inspired by stalker films of the '70s and '80s and featured vocalist Nola Wren. In 2016,
Grellier celebrated a decade of the
College project with the demos and rarities collection Old Tapes. For 2017's full-length
Shanghai,
Grellier took inspiration from the city's enduring mystique and collaborated with native Shanghai singer
Hama. ~ Jason Lymangrover