Take a listen and bask in the glory of “The Tower,” the first look at Future Islands’ forthcoming January 2024 album, ‘People Who Aren’t There Anymore.’
follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist
Stream: “The Tower” – Future Islands
Everything grows stronger in the light…
If there’s one phrase that comes to mind with Baltimore synth pop heroes Future Islands, it might be… committed.
Or passionate. Or mind-blowing. Or sensitive, or introspective. Or all of those things at once, distilled into spirited, rich and emotional songs that zip by on a breeze but leave you looking in the rearview mirror, contented and yet inquisitive.
Future Islands are never too disconnected from the past, never too removed from yearning and often looking backwards (and forwards) an ocean away.
Such a sense of awareness is something to be treasured and indeed, marveled at, and it’s a quality shared by many of the band’s 4AD labelmates (Big Thief and The National come to mind).
And introspective as they might be, the band is rarely at rest either, as the hard-working road dogs make their way from coast to coast, seemingly on a loop. “Work ethic” is another phrase that comes to mind with Future Islands. Much of that remains the same, in the best way possible, on new single “The Tower,” the first formal release off next year’s upcoming (and memorably named) People Who Aren’t There Anymore.
Threw a bottle
Across the water
To someone who’s thinking of me
There’s a tower
In the ocean
Pouring through me
That’s my will and testament
I, I, I am waiting on the other side, sigh
Looked out into everything and I lie
Tell myself, “it’s nothing”, when it’s quite right
Everything grows stronger in the light
The spritely single showcases the best of energetic frontman Sam Herring, with a larger-than-life stage presence, one that often translates into a distinctive, delicate touch in the studio. The contrast is a sonic joy, brought forth in epic fashion during thousands of Future Islands shows.
“The Tower” isn’t so much a return to form as it is a reminder that no one does it quite like the scrappy Baltimore band: It’s an intoxicating blend of deep emotion, bittersweet nostalgia and an unending sense of love and yearning.
The single joins a series of (seemingly) one-off releases, 2021’s masterful “Peach” and lovely 2022 release “King of Sweden,” along with August 2023 single “Deep In The Night.”
The newest track has a mystical quality and a sense of wonder, with thoughts of far-off places seen only from a higher perch.
When a boy who — played with razors
Met a girl who — opened cages
All the birds flew through the graveyard
And their laughter was contagious
I, I, I am watching on the other side, sighs
Looked out into every, nil and nigh
Lie, tell myself it’s darkest when it’s quite bright
Everything grows stronger in the light
You might say that Future Islands are “back,” but the thing is, they never really left.
Indeed, the great thing about following Future Islands is that it seems the band is rarely in the same place for too long, be it headlining Brooklyn indie venues, hitting the studio or supporting alternative music giants like Weezer and Modest Mouse.
The group hinted at bigger things to come as far as back as 2021, when they kicked off a joyous return to live shows at New York City’s Governors Ball.
Much of that same energy remains, with an even deeper sense of passion and purpose: Future Islands and Herring himself seem to reach out and lift you up when you’re down on your luck.
Newfound Future Islands fans, which seemingly grow by the live show, have much to anticipate: The album is heralded by 4AD as a “powerful, defining statement,” and “The Tower” is just a sign of things to come.
In the light, In the light
Standing at the sea and swallowing
Without you, beside you
But you knew
What I knew
I, I, I am waiting on the other side, sigh
Looked out into everything and I lie
Tell myself, “it’s nothing”, when it’s quite right
Everything goes
Everything grows
I am watching, I am waiting
I am waiting, I’m not breaking
I lie, tell myself, “it’s okay”, when it’s not quite
Everything grows stronger in the light
— —
:: stream/purchase People Who Aren’t There Anymore here ::
:: connect with Future Islands here ::
Stream: “The Tower” – Future Islands
— — — —
Connect to Future Islands on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
© Frank Hamilton
© Frank Hamilton
:: Today’s Song(s) ::
follow our daily playlist on Spotify
:: Stream Future Islands ::
