SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FUTURE ISLANDS – PEOPLE WHO AREN’T THERE ANYMORE

FUTURE ISLANDS
PEOPLE WHO AREN’T THERE ANYMORE
4AD

It’s been a long wait for Future Islands’ latest effort, with it being four years since their last release, the acclaimed As Long As You Are. Thankfully, it only takes a few bars of title track “King Of Sweden” to note the band is just as on form as ever. The same sonic joy, tortured, opaque lyrics, and bass and synth-led grooves are all still present, and it’s amazing, comforting fun.

Never knowingly predictable, though, this record shows a newer, rawer side of Future Islands. At times it almost sounds as though they’ve swapped lyric sheets with label-mates The National, and the album’s all the better and deeper for it. There’s still plenty to dance to here, with “The Tower” and “Say Goodbye” carrying that load, but there’s a darker edge on tracks such as “Deep In The Night” or “The Thief” that mark an introspectiveness about their sound and lyricism that matches some of the best music that Future Islands has ever put out.

If it’s true that music’s power is to be able to make you both cry and want to dance, then Future Islands nail the balance perfectly, particularly on the album’s magnum opus, the unsettlingly beautiful power-pop of “The Fight”, which is a strangely emotional, spacey masterpiece. It’s clear that this album was written by hearts and brains that have a lot to share. Lucky, then, that we’re all around to hear it, for this album is an early standard-bearer for the new musical year.

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