From a galaxy far, far away

Being a teenager is a lot like floating through space. You're scared and confused, but then you latch onto the brilliance of some distant star, and things begin to take shape. Lights and sounds coalesce around your singular universe, and just as you descend to earth, you feel as if the journey has emboldened you with some celestial knowledge. That description goes part of the way toward capturing "Saturdays = Youth," the latest from French shoegazers M83, a band that takes its name from a distant galaxy and its '80s-inspired synth music from pivotal '80s pop-culture references such as the Cocteau Twins and John Hughes films. M83 performs tonight. 18+ 9 p.m. $12-$14. Middle East Downstairs, 480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-864-3278. mideastclub.com