As Long As You Are - Future Islands: Review
is a Baltimore based synth pop and indie pop act fronted by Sam Herring who emerged in the early 2010's as one of indie music premiere summer songwriters. The band found mainstream success after a viral performance of their most well known track Seasons in 2014 and while they have failed to replicate that commercial success since then they still have a dedicated following among indie fans.
Review By Lavender:
Future Islands have a discography of singles that can stand up to any of their indie contemporaries. Tracks like Vireo's Eye, Balance, Seasons, Ran and the newest entry For Sure are all incredible examples of their sound done to absolute perfection. The issue is that since their 2010 record In Evening Air the band has failed to put an entire album of great songs together, and the limitations of their sound are just as apparent on As Long As You Are.
For the most part the singles here are once again great tracks with only one exception. For Sure is a soaring and triumphant track that I really loved as a single and still love on the record. The fat bassline is classic Future Islands and the shimmering summery synths. are a perfect pairing for Sam's infectious hook is a great track. Born In A War comes next in the tracklist with yet another great hook that features a wall of bright synths alongside some harrowing vocals. The instrumental is surprisingly busy and just a few shades away from flat out disco but the band handles it really well and the result shines. Thrill takes a much more reserved but still dramatic approach to the bands sound and they pull it off better here than most of the albums other slow songs. The vocal melodies are rich and compelling but also instantaneous and infectious. Alongside a steady textured instrumental this is another highlight.
There's also a trio of deep cuts here that I have grown to enjoy a lot since the record came out. I Knew You is another really unique instrumental with wandering synth lines and a bit a minimalism compared to the bands normal blend of explosive sonic bliss. The track starts out slow but it has grown on me quite a bit with infectious melodies and a stand out instrumental. Waking is one of the brightest and loudest tracks on the record. There are more great chilling synth chords here that match well with the songs poppy neveer, It isn't one of my favorite songs from a songwriting perspective but moment to moment it's good. Plastic Beach is my favorite of the deep cuts with rousing energy and some of my favorite lyrics on the record from Sam. This is one of the better hooks here as well and it maintains that infectious energy throughout the track.
Glada is a mellow and dramatic opener with some deep growling Sam Herring melodies. The instrumental is very dreamy and smooth but it does feel like the song is just trudging through its progression. Even on the hook the track feels like its pacing itself which makes for quite a weird choice of an opener. Moonlight was the only single I didn't love because I think it's too lowkey for it's own good. It feels like it should have a grand moment that the entire track has been slowly building up to but when it fails to deliver you just realize that the dry refrains and empty instrumentation are kind of a waste.
City's Face didn't leave a particularly strong impression on me in any way whatsoever. The instrumental is very lowkey and while Sam's vocals are rich he is never really applying them to the song in any meaningful way. It also has 20 seconds of silence at the end of it which even further confused me. The Painter is probably the worst song here as it combines an annoying key line with a super tame hook that brings absolutely nothing memorable. The track is also nearly five minutes long but parts of it feel even longer. Finally Hit The Coast is the closer and features a wonderful instrumental but what the hell is this hook. Both the repetition of the title and the warbly sung melodies that follow are just weird and goofy as hell which takes a lot of the records impact away as a closer.
As Long As You Are is yet another Future Islands album for better and for worse. That means shimmering high points alongside confusing and boring lows which makes for an inconsistent listening experience, but one I am not that opposed to having again. Nothing here is truly terrible and a few of the best synth pop songs I've heard this year show up on the record, so fans of any of their records before should probably give this a shot. 6/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
This is a cool concept for a cover. The feeling of a frame in a frame is really cool but it's done in a new way that pulls focus to the subject in a dramatic way. I love the color grading of the image and the bright pop of the red against the neutral tones. I like the handwritten script of the title but I can't stand the placement of the bands name. If they had put it in the lower corner it would've been so much better and stopped it from breaking up the imagery. 6.5/10
For more indie pop check out my review of Everything Everything's Re-Animator here
