Future Islands - Singles

If Future Islands achieve nothing else, they have at least carved a place in the annals of internet memes with their extraordinary recent appearance on David Letterman’s Late Show. Mugging as if his career depended on it – maybe it did – frontman Samuel T Herring delivered a potentially life-transforming turn – pounding his chest, screaming, summoning the full force of what turned out to be his considerable charisma (“I’ll take all of that ya got,” acclaimed Letterman, bounding over to shake Herring’s hand).

The band was performing ‘Seasons (Waiting For You)’, the first single from their new LP, which sees the Baltimore four-piece making their debut on UK label 4AD. Typical of the group’s sound, and of the rest of the album, Herring’s bar-band delivery – all husky croons and yelps – pushes against the sweetness of the music, a lilting synth pop that suggests an exceedingly wistful New Order. This is the blueprint that has sustained Future Islands across three previous records and evidently Herring and company see little need to tinker with it. Rather, Singles represents a refinement of formula, with smarter production, better crafted hooks and lashings of emoting from Herring, a dazzling lunk who, courtesy of Letterman, seems to have had a break-out moment.