Future Islands-old

In 2003, Art Lord and the Self Portraits formed out of East Carolina University’s art school. Three years later, it spurred off as three-fourths of Future Islands. The current trio—Sam Herring, William Cashion and Gerrit Welmers—has since conquered North Carolina’s electropop scene, buddied up with Dan Deacon and Wham City, moved to Baltimore, won over its scene, and signed a deal with Thrill Jockey Records. Thrill Jockey’s May release of In Evening Air will undoubtedly help Future Islands reach even larger audiences outside of local pockets, but the Islands’ calling card—ecstatic live sets that could compel a dead man to dance—will turn those listeners into devoted fans. 

With all the dramatic flair of a hysterical soul singer during a marathon tent revival, Herring contorts his countenance as much as his voice on slow-burning ballads and triumphant odes. He demands attention as he enchants an audience, holding court of an entire room as one of music’s most captivating frontmen. Behind him, Cashion (bass) and Welmers (keys) shape dense instrumentals that offer much more than a dance floor-friendly beat. Whether they’re creating deliberate, glacial theatrics or a pulsing, insistent electrothrob, the pair’s layered soundscapes—full of shrill squeals, spacey atmospherics and bass thumps—give you plenty to remember long after you’ve enjoyed last call (if you haven’t already had too much fun, that is).

On the cusp of their first album for a big indie, Future Islands has indeed come a long way, but the trademarks that got them here—Herring’s immaculate crowd command and Cashion and Welmers’ adroit, continually rewarding backdrops—remain the same. —Spencer Griffith