Future Islands Embrace Yearning & Distance With "Say Goodbye"

Just days ahead of a new album gracing the airwaves, Future Islands are, once again, “all in” – betting big (as they always have) on the idea that love and loss can make you stronger, and that a deep longing in the soul can yield worthy dividends.

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Stream: “Say Goodbye” – Future Islands

Future Islands are, once again, “all in” – betting big (as they always have) on the idea that love and loss can make you stronger, and that a deep longing in the soul can yield worthy dividends. Those two ideas are at the core of new single “Say Goodbye,” the most recent release off People Who Aren’t There Anymore – set to arrive in just a few short days this coming Friday (January 26th) via 4AD.

People Who Aren't There Anymore - Future Islands — People Who Aren’t There Anymore – Future Islands

But those ideas are curious ones to consider indeed, knowing what we know now: The last time we heard from Future Islands in a proper LP format (2020’s As Long As You Are), emotive and powerful lead singer Sam Herring was essentially chronicling the start of a relationship with Swedish actress Julia Ragnarsson.

And as Herring has said, this new album picks up in the middle, rather than the start – now, Herring has since split from Ragnarsson, giving these songs quite literally a much different color.

For a band that played just one show in pandemic-plagued 2020 – a virtual celebration of that year’s record – it’s been a long venture back, with a triumphant return to festival stages in 2021 and a characteristically colorful sonic output along the way.

There’s no rest for the weary, as it were.

“Say Goodbye” is a continuation, or rather a summation, of the never-at-rest world of Future Islands – the band memorably hit the road last year opening for the likes of Weezer, and they’ve graced the stage alongside indie dignitaries like Modest Mouse in recent years.

Along the way, they found time to lay the foundation for People Who Aren’t There Anymore via a series of one-off singles that now make up six tracks off the Say Goodbye single offering.

As seen on Say Goodbye, these one-off singles are certainly intriguing to view in a new light, given that they’ve hit playlists in spurts over the past two-and-a-half years and serve as snapshots of a moment in time for Herring.

Those tracks include 2021’s heart-wrenching yet life-affirming “Peach,” spritely 2022 release “King of Sweden” and brooding August 2023 single “Deep In The Night,” alongside impossibly energetic fall 2023 release “The Tower.”

That particular song signified the formal start of a sprint to the finish for this hotly anticipated LP.

Future Islands Make Triumphant Return with “The Tower” Off 7th Album 'People Who Aren’t There Anymore'

:: TODAY'S SONG ::

The band drew the title from an Albuquerque artist – and Future Islands fan – by the name of Beedallo, and a Beedallo piece graces the album cover.

And what’s on the record remains a true chronicle of love and loss – as most Future Islands records are. But this time, as they say, it just hits different.

The song “Say Goodbye” at first seems like an ode to love across time zones, dealing quite literally with the logistics of a different morning and night, but the song reads painfully and yet somehow tinged with a fleeting catharsis in hindsight (you might say this is another Future Islands staple, of course).

It also rather memorably carries on a long-standing idea within Herring’s lyrics: Perspective, of the person you were years ago and the person you are now, can prove invaluable. It’s easy to lose sight of that notion within the daily grind, or within the grind of being a touring band going on two decades, but for Herring, it never seems a deeper understanding is never far off.

Is this a positive or a negative? Within the world of Future Islands, it’s easy to experience both sides of that coin with a few short minutes.

When I don’t wanna say goodnight
And every day without you
Feels one closer to goodbye
I just need to make this world seem right
You just sleep tight, til I’m on your side
Know you need to go to sleep
There’s comfort knowing that
at least you can escape this heat
I’ll sit up and watch, this world burn bright
I’ll be alright
When you’re on my time

At the core of the song, above floating, shimmering synths, is drummer Michael Lowry’s characteristically tight timekeeping, a perfect canvas acting as a solid backbone while Herring ducks, dives, jumps and fist-pumps his way across stage.

Future Islands (left to right): Samuel T. Herring, Gerrit Welmers, William Cashion, Michael Lowry © Frank Hamilton

Naturally, it’s not hard to imagine “Say Goodbye” acting as a worthy firestarter when Future Islands return to the stage in support of this LP.

For now, Future Islands’ tour schedule shows a series of March dates across South America, and a scattering of European dates across the summer – no doubt sure to be ramped up very swiftly on the heels of this next record.

Redemption, grace and acceptance surely won’t be in short supply when that time does come. Though it might be hard to say goodbye, Future Islands always speak to the notion that second chances arrive swiftly and when we least expect them.

Where the road leads from there is anyone’s guess, but this latest forthcoming record could prove a worthy lantern to light the way through the darkness.

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