Exciting Future Islands at the Black Box

American band Future Islands play the Black Box next Wednesday as part of their world tour, which includes gigs in Cork Opera House, Dolan’s of Limerick and Dublin’s Iveagh Garden.

The North Carolina band first formed in 2005, while in art college. Back then they were known as Art Lords & Self Portraits. Three members of that band stayed together and created the current line-up; Gerrit Welmers (keyboards and programming), William Cashion (Bass, acoustic and electric guitar), Samuel T Herring (lyrics and vocals). Glad we are that they did!

Their most successful album to date is 2014’s Single, which they toured at Electric Picnic (EP) in 2015. The album was praised worldwide, with the single Seasons, topping the NME and Pitchfork charts for best single of 2014.

The band’s newest album The Far Fields was a continuation – according to themselves – of what they’ve always been doing. Both Singles and The Far Field could be the one album in fact, but not in a bad way. The band have nestled nicely into an incredibly comfortable and – more importantly – a creative groove and have mined their own sub-genre in many ways. Music reviewers often call them a synth-pop band, but the Baltimore-based outfit sternly reject this pigeon hole. The way they create songs is what makes their sound so unique; as Cashions and Welmers are responsible for the high- tempo sound and Herring applies his Morrissey-esque lyrics.

While Seasons is by far their most well know song, fans at next Wednesday’s gig could enjoy other, less talked-about, but no less thrilling tracks such as Fall from Grace, and Grease, – which appeared on Singles and On the Water respectively. Both tracks show a sometimes-overlooked side to Future Islands. It’s their own take on the new wave and romantic genres which influences so much of their music. These tracks have almost an operatic tone, combined with a snarling bass and their distinctive keyboard synthesiser sound.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.